Europe invested just €17bn in new wind farms in 2022. That’s down from €41bn in 2021 and the lowest investment figure since 2009 - a stark warning to Governments and policymakers. The EU wants to accelerate the build-out of wind energy to strengthen its energy security and ensure affordable electricity prices. But recent market interventions [...]
OX2 has initiated the development of the offshore energy hub Neptunus in southern Baltic Sea. The energy hub is estimated to have a total installed capacity of 1.9 GW and will produce both electricity and hydrogen. The project will be included in OX2’s project development portfolio for the first quarter, 2023. The energy hub will [...]
The European Commission has proposed a targeted revision of the EU’s electricity market design. It makes Contracts-for-Difference the new norm for supporting renewables investments. It also allows investors to sell their electricity via Power Purchase Agreements or directly on the electricity market. And it actively supports the growth of PPAs. The Council and Parliament must [...]
The year of the Sector Deal for the development of offshore wind energy in Poland, achievements and further plans - this was the topic of a panel at the Conference of the Parties to the Sectoral Agreements, held in Warsaw on 22 November 2022. The RES Sectoral Agreements concluded in 2021 aim to take measures [...]
Potential threats to offshore wind farms, ways to protect them, and legal aspects of the security of operation of these facilities are the subject of the analysis "Protection of energy infrastructure in the aspect of offshore wind energy development in Polish maritime areas", authored by Lieutenant Commander Tomasz Chyła, MSc, Eng., an expert at the [...]
Sassnitz, November 2022. The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has successfully completed a boulder detection campaign off the coast of the island of Rügen in the German Baltic Sea on behalf of 50Hertz. In order to allow efficient planning of the grid operator’s new offshore platform seismic measuring techniques have been employed to [...]
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed on November 20th with an agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. “This outcome moves us forward” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. “We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss [...]
The real potential of offshore wind energy in Poland and the necessary changes in the regulatory framework to fully exploit this potential were the main topics of the Offshore Wind Poland conference organized by PWEA on 16 and 17 October in Warsaw. The industry is counting on rapid changes and resolutions. Deputy Minister for Climate [...]
So far 30 GW offshore wind farms in Europe are nearly all connected to the energy system through subsea power cables that run to mother country. As WindEurope indicates in the not-too-distant future many of them will connect to new “energy islands” which will centralise the transmission of the energy they produce. Some of these [...]
EU countries have earmarked around 52,000 km2 for wind energy development, as shown in WindEurope's analysis of offshore spatial plans. Such an area, if fully utilized, will allow the installation of 220 GW of wind power. Among the leaders are Belgium and Germany, which together want to allocate 15% of their territorial waters for wind [...]
Poland's offshore wind power industry, while thriving, is still at an early stage of development. The Polish Energy Policy until 2040, adopted last year, assumes that offshore wind farms will be one of the foundations of a new, zero-carbon energy sector in Poland. This process requires a clear and long-term strategy, cooperation and partnership with [...]
Poland’s offshore wind potential is 33 GW, according to estimates from the Offshore Wind Poland conference. The new PWEA report also indicates 20 new areas in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea, including 18 in the exclusive economic zone and two in the territorial sea. If the Baltic's total potential is exploited, offshore wind [...]
Development of offshore wind energy in Poland is the path to green, cheap energy, which will help greatly to ensure energy security and reduce the risk of energy poverty. Such a process requires long-term strategies, partnerships with the local community and collaboration with trusted partners. We have seen great examples of such collaboration in France. [...]
Estonian government approved activities designed to streamline the transition to the use of renewable energy at cabinet meeting on November 10th. The country has set itself the goal of producing as much renewable electricity by 2030 as its total annual consumption. The accelerated development of renewable energy will focus on wind power, with the government [...]
According to the Finnish Wind Power Association’s (FWPA) half-year review of wind power projects, in addition to onshore wind power, potential offshore wind power areas are also of interest to project operators. There are currently 13 offshore wind power projects planned, with a total output of nearly 13,500 megawatts. More than 3,200 MW more offshore [...]
For Poland, the Baltic has always been a window to the world. Today, it is also an opportunity for Poland to become independent from coal-based energy through the development of offshore wind energy in the Polish exclusive economic zone. This new industry could become the flywheel of the Polish energy transition, so necessary today. Stable [...]
The leaders of the Baltic Sea electricity transmission system operators met in Helsinki on 2nd of November to discuss the energy crisis in Europe and the electricity adequacy of the region. The transmission system operators of the Baltic Sea region actively cooperate and share information on the security and the electricity supply situation in the [...]
The German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action has announced new targets for offshore wind energy. The plan is to accelerate offshore investment in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea - to reach a target of 30 GW in 2030, 50 GW in 2035 and even 70 GW by 2045. The agreement was [...]
Last week the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania has presented a draft legislative act on offshore wind development that will enable works on the second offshore wind park. As summarized on Linkedin by Dr Paulius Zapolskis, dealing with offshore legal issues – the second farm is not supposed to be financed through [...]
Polish industry has a great opportunity to permanently strengthen its position in global supply chains of the offshore wind energy sector. We are already a leader in the Baltic. The key to seizing this opportunity is to build competence, develop cooperation within a technical dialogue between specific sectors and companies - says Jakub Budzyński, Vice [...]
We spoke with Mike Crawley, CEO of Northland Power, on the occasion of his visit to Poland in October, during which the selection of Vestas turbines for the Baltic Power project and the construction of an installation terminal in Świnoujście were announced. The Canadian company he heads is one of the most experienced developers of [...]
Sunday 6 November saw the start of the COP27 Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The meeting, which will last until 18 November, takes place in the shadow of the ongoing energy crisis caused by Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as numerous extreme weather events around the world such as floods and droughts. [...]
Global Wind Organisation (GWO) released the Wind Limited Access Standard. This new standard was developed to provide a minimum viable safety training for infrequent visitors to onshore and offshore wind turbine generators (WTG) environments when supervised by at least two GWO Basic Safety Training (BST) qualified persons. The standard consists of two, three-and-a-half hour modules. [...]
The Finnish energy company Ilmatar is starting a technical survey of the seabed over an area of 600 square kilometres north of Åland. The planned wind farm is intended to be connected to both Sweden and Finland and is projected to supply around 10 per cent of Finland’s annual electricity consumption. – This is the operational launch of Ilmatar’s investment [...]
Svea Wind Offshore, a Swedish RES developer, is launching consultations as part of the border-setting process for the Utposten 2 wind farm. A meeting organised by Svea Wind Offshore will take place in Gävle on 21-22 November. The meeting in Gävle will include a general presentation of the project and information on the planned activities, [...]
Offshore wind energy will accelerate significantly in the coming decades. It will be one of the fastest growing renewable energy sectors, especially in Poland. Poland could become the largest offshore wind market in the Baltic Sea with up to 28 GW of capacity. Experts will discuss how to exploit the potential of offshore wind farms [...]
A pioneering new partnership between WWF and Ørsted aims to advance offshore wind deployment that enhances ocean biodiversity, and drive a global shift towards addressing climate and biodiversity goals together. Climate change is accelerating biodiversity loss, as crucial ecosystems and wildlife are hit hard by the impacts of a warming world. The ocean already plays [...]
Today, the Estonian Government confirmed the location of the ELWIND joint Estonian-Latvian offshore wind energy project in the Estonian maritime area. Based on studies and analyses, the most suitable development area for the joint project in Estonian waters is the sea area west of the Sõrve peninsula. "Estonia's offshore wind energy is an untapped potential [...]
Poland has started competitive processes for five offshore wind seabed permits in the Polish Baltic Sea. RWE has submitted bids for all five areas with a total capacity of 7.8 gigawatts (GW) – including a site 44.E1, located in the direct vicinity of its F.E.W. Baltic II project. Based on its track record of more [...]
Ørsted and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) have entered into a partnership to develop approx. 5.2 gigawatts of offshore wind in Denmark across four projects – 3 GW of which are in the Baltic Sea. The partnership can accelerate the green transformation greatly, create value in the offshore wind industry, strengthen value- and job creation, and create [...]
Last week, the Government of Lithuania approved the requirements for prospective offshore wind park developers to participate in next year’s tender. The Government decision confirmed the requirements for tender participants’ financial capacity and experience in carrying out projects of this kind, as well as obligations to contribute to environmental protection and the well-being of the [...]
Ocean Winds, an international company dedicated to offshore wind energy and created as a 50-50 joint venture by EDP Renewables and ENGIE, received for its BC-Wind project in the Baltic Sea a so-called “Environmental Decision” that successfully completed the environmental impact assessment process. The decision was taken by the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) in Gdańsk, Poland, [...]
More than 400 people from 215 companies met at the Baltic Power Supply Chain Meeting 2022 in Sopot. The third edition of the Baltic Power conference focused on the key suppliers, who presented the scopes of the planned works, the schedules for their execution and the areas in which they are looking for Polish suppliers. [...]
"Offshore Wind Park" is a strategic investment of Lithuania. Implementation will significantly increase the country's energy security by reducing the country's dependence on energy imports. The Ministry of Energy has just launched a page where it presents the most important information about the project. In one place you can find, among other things, the status [...]
Rumia Invest Park is setting up a Pomeranian Centre for Offshore Energy Competence on the city's premises, where those wishing to do so will gain the training necessary to work in the offshore industry. The leaders of the offshore wind energy sector, Polenergia Group and Equinor Poland, have just joined the initiative. The meeting, during [...]
The Regional Director of Environmental Protection in Gdansk issued a decision on the environmental conditions for the connection infrastructure, i.e. the transport of the produced power from Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, Baltica 2 and Baltica 3, to be implemented in two stages. This allows the project’s investors – PGE and Ørsted – to continue the [...]
Supplementary 5-weeks public hearing on the sea-based part of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the plan for Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm (OWF). The signatory parties of the Climate Agreement on green electricity and heat of 25 June 2022 have decided to move Hesselø Offshore Wind Farm to a more southern location (light-green area in the above [...]
At a joint conference on nature positive offshore energy infrastructure hosted by Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and WindEurope, the Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) confirmed that it is possible to speed up offshore wind and related electricity grid deployment while protecting and restoring nature. Offshore wind and related electricity grid infrastructure are imperative [...]
On 14 October, Daniel Badman, VD/CEO of the Swedish Wind Energy Association (Svensk Vindenergi), commented on the Tidö Agreement presented by the Moderate Coalition Party (Moderaterna), Christian Democrats, Liberals and Sweden Democrats. The political agreement is the basis for a deal that allows the formation of a government after the September parliamentary elections. According to [...]
The first edition of the OFFSHORE Career Day at Gdańsk University of Technology is coming up. The event will be a possibility to talk to representatives of many companies about choosing a career path in the renewable energy sector. The organisers of the event invite students and graduates, as well as those interested in offshore [...]
An operations and maintenance base for PGE Group and Offshore Wind Energy Competence Center’s offshore wind farms will be established in the port of Ustka. PGE Baltica, which implements the PGE Group's offshore programme, has presented plans for the development of the port’s area for offshore projects. The decision to establish our future operations and [...]
Member states of the Baltic Sea region are supposed to agree their capacity goals for offshore renewable energy for 2030-2040-2050 by 24 January 2023 to enable the EU transmission operators’ network to devise a plan for the development of the strategic integrated offshore grid. The deadline is close, and the European Network of Transmission Operators [...]
Poland’s first installation terminal to be located in Świnoujście and a turbine factory to be built by Vestas in Szczecin are two new investment projects now afoot in connection with the Baltic Power offshore wind farm. The joint venture project between the ORLEN Group and Northland Power will require 76 state-of-the-art 15 MW turbines from [...]
Human capital is an essential and key element in both the construction and operation of offshore and onshore wind farms. The industry is rapidly growing and skilled workers are still in short supply. On 4th October 2022 Global Wind Organisation held its Training & Safety Forum in GWO headquarters in Copenhagen. The meeting aimed to [...]
Siemens Gamesa has recently announced that their SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbine prototype, which is the world's largest in operation, has set a new world record. The prototype turbine produced 359 megawatt-hours within a 24-hour time period, which according to Siemens Gamesa, is comparable with energy needed to drive 1.8 million kilometers in [...]
The Land and Environmental Court in Östersund has informed on the 5th of October that it has rejected Utposten 2's application for a permit for offshore wind power within Gävle municipality. We have reported on the Utposten 2 project here. This is because the applicant did not meet the requirements of the Environmental Code for [...]
Opportunities and benefits of cooperation between universities and the offshore wind industry was the main theme of the Baltic Windustry Conference, which was held on 8 September 2022 in Gdansk, Poland. The main focus of the meeting organized by the Offshore Wind Energy Center of Gdańsk University of Technology and the Polish Wind Energy Association [...]
Baltic Power has signed contracts for the construction, supply and installation of offshore substations and foundations for a wind farm located in the Baltic Sea. According to the agreement, some of the components necessary for the foundation of the towers for the turbines will be manufactured in Poland. Later this year, Baltic Power will contract [...]
German energy company RWE has announced that geophysical and environmental studies for the Södra Midsjöbanken offshore wind project have been completed. This is RWE’s largest project in the Nordic region, involving the construction of an offshore farm about 100 km from the Swedish mainland towards the Polish border. The total [...]
Finland currently has an offshore wind farm project in Korsnäs, on the southwest coast of Finland, 15 km from the coast. In early 2022, work will begin on the environmental impact assessment and zoning of the installation. […]
Ørsted Poland and Warsaw University of Technology signed a Letter of Intent on cooperation. The aim of the agreement is to educate future personnel for the offshore wind energy sector, and in the future – also to create a scholarship programme for the most promising students studying in this field. […]
Iberdrola remains committed to the deployment of renewables in international markets. Its third offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea, Windanker, will have 300 MW installed capacity and €800 million total investment. The project will reinforce the company’s Baltic Hub in Germany which also includes the operational Wikinger offshore wind farm (350 MW), and Baltic [...]
DTU Electrical Engineering experts believe that Denmark can gain billions of Danish kroner by implementing smart solutions when building energy islands in the Baltic Sea and North Sea. […]
The Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) adopted a new work programme for offshore wind in the Baltic Sea. […]
The long-awaited climate summit in Glasgow - COP26 - kicked off on October 31. The venue for the meeting of decision-makers from around the world is significant - the UK is the European leader in the development of offshore wind energy, aiming to install 40 GW by 2030. Representatives from the wind sector will also [...]
The investment partners involved in the construction of the Baltica offshore wind farm have started individual negotiations with the European Commission, concerning the determination of an individual price in the differential contract for both stages of the project – Baltica 2 and Baltica 3. PGE and Ørsted expect a decision [...]
Dillinger, a German manufacturer of high-quality heavy plate, has announced that they will invest €56.5 million to expand production of super-heavy plate at Dillinger and to manufacture offshore foundations at Steelwind Nordenham. […]
The Swedish government announced in October that electricity system operator Svenska Kraftnät would be tasked with developing the offshore transmission grid in connection with plans to develop offshore wind power. Lina Kinning, offshore energy and European policy expert at the Swedish Wind Energy Association (SWEA), in a commentary for BalticWind.EU [...]
The Polish Offshore Wind Sector Deal signed on 15 September 2021 is another milestone in the development of this sector in Poland, next to the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Generation in Offshore Wind Farms of December 2020. This article is part of a series of comments on the main challenges to be [...]
The Swedish Government plans to contract electricity system operator Svenska Kraftnät to expand the transmission network in the country’s offshore areas. The development of offshore wind power will support Sweden’s efforts to meet its 2040 RES energy production targets. […]
German electricity system operator 50Hertz announced that it has received the final, long-awaited approval for its Ostwind 2 infrastructure project in mid-September 2021. The operator received the decision for a 700-meter cable section connecting the Arcadis Ost 1 transformer platform. Ostwind 2 is a project by German operator 50Hertz designed to connect the Arcadis Ost [...]
September 6 proved to be a milestone for the Baltic Sea as the 604 MW Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm project was officially inaugurated. German steelmaker Dillinger boasted that it was the company that supplied the 45,000 tons of heavy plate needed for the monopiles used in the Kriegers Flak project. The popular Kriegers [...]
Estonian energy company Eesti Energia has announced that work has begun on the environmental impact assessment of the Liivi offshore wind farm, which will be built in the waters of the Gulf of Riga. A consulting firm Skepast&Puhkim is responsible for preparing the assessment. The Liivi offshore wind farm will be located about 10 km [...]
BirdLife International, a global federation of organizations dedicated to the conservation of wild bird species, has prepared a complex study on the impact of offshore wind farms on bird populations in the Baltic and North Seas. The key is marine spatial planning, based on scientific research and expert knowledge. The report „Impact of offshore [...]
Leading renewable energy developer Green Investment Group (GIG), has acquired the rights to the Kattegatt offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Falkenberg Municipality in the Halland region of Sweden. Green Investment Group, owned by investment giant Macquarie, has acquired the rights to the Kattegatt offshore wind farm from investor Agrivind AB. The [...]
Danish wind industry tycoon Ørsted has plans to build a 1.5 GW Skåne offshore wind farm. It has already completed an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project - documents are awaiting approval. The Skåne offshore wind farm will be located about 22 kilometers south of Skåne. The electricity will be able to cover [...]
BalticWind.EU was an institutional patron of the 7th Energy Congress organised by the think-tank DISE Energy. Our representative, Managing Director Paweł Wróbel, together with industry representatives and experts from the offshore wind sector, discussed the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. They all agreed that the road to the planned 11 GW is [...]
Danish wind energy association Wind Denmark presented a series of proposals to accelerate the expansion of wind and solar power at the Vindtræf 2021 industry conference. Denmark needs huge amounts of energy from RES to meet its growing electricity demand by 2030. "Wind Denmark estimates that 70-110 billion kWh of electricity will be needed in [...]
The time for offshore wind farms is approaching in Finland – say experts at Helsinki-based law firm Castrén & Snellman. In Finland, there are plans to accelerate the construction of offshore wind farms, among others by reducing the property tax rate. […]
On 15 September, representatives of the Polish government, business, companies, financial and research institutions signed a sector deal on offshore wind energy. The agreement is to become the basis for building a new industry in Poland. Giles Dickson, WindEurope CEO, said a few words about this initiative in a special [...]
September 15 is a landmark date for the Polish offshore wind energy sector. On that day, the sector deal was signed to develop a new industry. The document was signed by about 200 signatories, but the Polish government is already encouraging more entities to join the agreement. […]
The Polish state-owned company PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna has selected a financial advisor to arrange and obtain financing for the construction of the Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 offshore wind farms. It is the French investment bank Société Générale. The selection of the financial advisor was carried out on the basis of the Polish [...]
On August 11, 2021, the German Ministry of Economy and Energy presented a draft regulation on the designation of other areas in the exclusive economic zone for energy production. This is about producing green hydrogen in Germany, where offshore wind power will play a major role. As we read on the website of the [...]
The Polish media reached the unofficial version of the ordinance of the Minister of Infrastructure on the assessment of applications submitted in the adjudication proceedings regarding, among others, the requirements that must be met by companies investing in offshore wind farms in Poland. The new regulations may exclude foreign and private concerns from investing [...]