Poland’s Industrial Development Agency (ARP S.A.) has launched “Gotowi na Offshore” (Ready for Offshore), a programme to help Polish companies win contracts in the country’s offshore wind supply chain. It was developed with the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and with the offshore developers PGE Baltica and Orlen Neptun, and combines subsidised training with financing of up to PLN 100 million from ARP.
The programme rests on two pillars. The first is skills: with PARP, ARP has defined eight key competences for companies entering offshore projects, covering supply-chain entry strategy, bidding, contracting, safety, quality, delivery, innovation and staff development. Subsidised courses in these areas are listed in the national Development Services Database (BUR), and PARP said it will make around PLN 70 million in grants available for green skills. The second pillar is finance: ARP offers investment loans, including loans backed by an InvestEU guarantee, development loans that bridge EU-funded projects until grants are paid out, and leasing. Companies carrying out such projects in special economic zones managed by ARP can also claim an income tax exemption of up to 70 per cent of the investment for up to 15 years.
ARP said consultations with industry showed that Polish firms are ready to enter the market but need help with building competences and access to capital, since adapting plants, processes and quality systems to offshore requirements is costly. PGE Baltica and Orlen Neptun took part in preparing the programme so that its assumptions could be checked against the requirements they place on suppliers and subcontractors.
“The goal is obvious: developing technological competences, speeding up investment and improving the chances of winning contracts in the construction of wind farms in the Baltic Sea,” said Eliza Zeidler, Secretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets, who described the programme as one element of the government’s “Local Content” agenda. ARP chief executive Daniel Ryczek said the aim is for Polish companies to be prepared for offshore projects “not only technologically, but also organisationally, financially and operationally”.
The launch follows the first delivery of power from a Polish offshore wind farm, Baltic Power, to the national grid in July. Poland’s energy policy assumes 5.9 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, potentially rising to 18 GW by 2040, with investment of up to PLN 500 billion. Official expectations put the Polish share of the supply chain at up to 40 per cent, which would translate into contracts worth up to PLN 200 billion. Whether that share is reached will depend on whether firms can meet developers’ requirements in time, which is the gap this programme is meant to close.
