The Polish company LOTOS Petrobaltic from Grupa LOTOS is the only Polish mining company that deals with the exploration and production of oil and gas deposits on the Polish shelf of the Baltic Sea. The company wants to join the plan to build offshore wind farms by providing the necessary fleet of ships – from installation to service.
As reported by the Polish media, LOTOS Petrobaltic wants to be a national operator at the stage of the construction, commissioning and servicing of offshore wind farms in the Polish Economic Zone of the Baltic Sea. The company has extensive – 30 years – experience in comprehensive logistics services for offshore activities, but also in sea research and ship fleet management. In December 2020, the ship PSV SYLUR successfully completed drilling work in the area of the planned Baltic II wind farm, located west of Ławica Słupska. The geological investigation of the Baltic basin was commissioned by the German company RWE.
It is worth noting that at the end of March 2021, LOTOS Petrobaltic signed a letter of intent, co-signatories of which were entities such as Grupa Przemysłowa Baltic, Józef Piłsudski Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa, Remontowa Shipbuilding, CRIST and the Polish Register of Shipping. Polish companies have declared their readiness to cooperate and support involvement in the supply chain for offshore wind energy sector.
The letter emphasized that the participation of the Polish industry in the construction of offshore wind energy sector is economically justified. It is an element limiting the risk of lack of access to key assets, which are ships, and at the same time it is an important mechanism of the Polish National Reconstruction Plan.
– We have the necessary land and sea infrastructure, as well as knowledge and human resources, which allow us to become a national operator in the construction and service of offshore wind farms. This new area of activity should become a driving force for the Polish economy and a huge growth potential for Gdańsk Pomerania – said Grzegorz Strzelczyk, President of the Management Board of LOTOS Petrobaltic.
The company aims to transform the profile of its mining activities into those related to the green energy market, in particular offshore wind energy sector, within the next 5-10 years. LOTOS Petrobaltic has already started intensive preparations to acquire five vessels for offshore wind investments. According to the Polish weekly WPROST, LOTOS Petrobaltic, in cooperation with the Gdańsk University of Technology and the AGH University of Science and Technology, has also started work on the preparation of a floating wind turbine project that will supply energy to the production center of the B8 oil field. A hydrogen electrolyser will also be installed, which will be powered by surplus energy.
