The Polish offshore wind farm project worth around 40 MLD PLN is the largest investment in post-war Poland. It will bring PLN 178 billion of added value to the Polish economy, a decrease in CO2 emissions of about 102 million tonnes per year, more than 100 000 new jobs. However, measures are needed to streamline the creation of offshore wind farms. Simplification of permitting or revision of the Maritime Spatial Plan for Polish Sea Areas (PZPPOM ) are just some of the necessary actions for offshore. An opportunity to discuss the direction of the accelerating energy transition based on wind energy will be provided by this year’s 19th PWEA2024 Conference, which will be held as early as 4-6 June in Świnoujście. Speakers will include key ministers responsible for energy transition regulations.
After Denmark and Germany, Poland is now the 3rd market for wind in the European Union. This is due, among other things, to the fact that 30% of the Baltic Sea’s OWE potential has been identified within Polish territorial waters. The energy potential of the Polish part of the Baltic Sea is considered to be one of the largest in Europe, reaching up to 33 GW. Its utilisation would make it possible to meet almost 60% of Poland’s electricity demand. This means that in the coming years, with the appropriate use of the national potential of Polish suppliers and the achievement of the highest possible level of local content, the Polish offshore will become a significant developmental stimulus for the entire Polish economy.
– There is no other investment campaign like this in Poland today. The development of offshore wind energy brings with it impressive opportunities for the industrial sector and for Polish entrepreneurs in the regional, European and global offshore value chain. The Polish offshore wind sector comprises 400 companies both already active in the global supply chain and aspiring to join on the basis of experience from related industries. The PWEA conference in Świnoujście is an opportunity, among others, for companies in the offshore wind energy industry to network with partners and to take advantage of the synergies from this cooperation. Creating effective alliances with experienced foreign partners will help build a strong offshore wind energy sector in Poland in a cost-optimised manner and with the support of the domestic industry, emphasises Janusz Gajowiecki, President of the Polish Wind Energy Association.
Offshore wind industry goes after its own
The wind industry, which will meet at the PWEA 2024 Conference in Świnoujście, is waiting for regulations that will accelerate the implementation of offshore projects. The event will present the main recommendations and tools recommended by the EU for speeding up permitting. Experts will also take a closer look at the most important areas in the administrative processes that should be streamlined – from the location permit to the occupancy permit. There will also be no shortage of issues such as the ‘one-stop-shop’ concept for OWE, cable pooling in the implementation of OWF projects, the concept of enabling the crossing of submarine cables and partnerships in the construction of farms in Poland – all aspects standing in the way of unlocking offshore wind.
The Polish industrial base is now ready for the transition to green energy sources – in the case of onshore wind power, local content, i.e. the share of Polish suppliers is already 55-65%. And this is just the beginning – the dynamic increase in investment that has taken place in recent years clearly indicates that it is Poland that will become the regional industrial hub for the wind sector.
– The new industry is a huge opportunity for Polish companies involved in the production and supply chain for onshore and offshore wind. Domestic entrepreneurs have the potential to soon offeŕ major structural components, i.e. wind towers, turbine components, offshore transformer stations. However, urgent support and decisive investment activities are needed. What is needed is a conscious industrial strategy of the state, which will prioritise the development of factories, projects, industry education, or obtaining financing, argues Oliwia Mróz-Malik, Manager for Offshore Wind Energy, Investment and Development at PWEA.
The largest celebration of the wind industry
It is not without reason that the PWEA conference will be held in Western Pomerania, in Świnoujście – one of the key locations on the energy map of Poland, which is becoming the centre of wind energy development before our eyes. However, Poland still faces many challenges both in terms of the development of Phase I projects, which are entering the most important stage of implementation, and Phase II, in which the winners of new locations are already known. The PWEA Conference will therefore not be short of topics concerning offshore wind investments in Poland, and discussions among industry experts, representatives of the administration and decision-makers will allow solutions to be worked out together to address the key challenges of their further development.
Prominent experts have already confirmed their presence, including Deputy Ministers Miłosz Motyka and Urszula Zielińska from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Olgierd Geblewicz, Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, and Giles Dickson, President of WindEurope. The event will also be attended by Jagna Kubańska-Łyczakowska, Head of Public Affairs Poland & Baltics at Vestas, Sebastian Jabłoński, Chairman of the Board of Respect Energy, and Michał Kołodziejczyk, Country Manager of Equinor Polska, who represent the Conference’s Ambassadors Event.
For more information about the PWEA2024 Conference: https://konferencjapsew.pl/.
