German investor RWE Renewables has joined the Lithuanian Maritime Cluster. The new cluster member is the world’s second largest business organization in terms of installed capacity of offshore wind farms and one of the largest energy companies in Europe.
Rytis Kėvelaitis, Senior Advisor (External) for Offshore Wind Development in Scandinavia and the Baltics at RWE Renewables, said that RWE Renewables, with 20 years of experience in the development, construction and operation of offshore wind farms, wants to help unlock the potential of Lithuanian offshore wind energy.
“We see the entire Baltic Sea as a promising place for further development of offshore wind energy, with the right natural conditions – among others constant wind speeds and smaller waves than in the North Sea”, Kėvelaitis explains.
Currently, the German investor is working to engage local suppliers of materials and services and establish contacts with research institutions for the construction of wind farms around the world.
“There is a need to take advantage of the technological and engineering opportunities available here, as well as to jointly explore new niches of cooperation related to the creation of high added value”, stressed Andrius Sutnikas, Development Manager at Klaipeda Science and Technology Park (KSTP), which coordinates the cluster’s activities.
The planned construction of offshore wind turbines is expected to spur the development of a service base at the Port of Klaipeda, identify new business niches related to the assembly or production of turbine components, as well as logistics and maintenance. The wind farm is estimated to create about 1,400 direct and additional jobs.
The Lithuanian Maritime Cluster currently has 10 members, including Klaipėda University and Lithuanian Maritime Academy, Klaipėda Science and Technology Park, Bega, Western Shipyard, Passer Sidc, Klaipėda Nafta, Schneider Electric, Emerson and RWE Renewables.
