Construction of offshore wind farms will gather pace

The road to strengthening Poland’s energy security through the use of the sea has been opened. 2 October 2023. The Ministry of Infrastructure organised the conference ‘Offshore – concessions in Polish maritime areas’, summarising the permitting process for the construction of offshore wind farms.

– The construction of the offshore wind energy sector is crucial for creating a balanced energy mix and ensuring Poland’s energy security. We have completed the authorisation procedure for the construction of offshore wind farms, which is the first stage in an important process of shaping a new sector of the economy,” said Deputy Infrastructure Minister Marek Gróbarczyk.

At the beginning of the conference, in addition to Deputy Minister Marek Gróbarczyk, the Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, Vice President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA Paweł Śliwa and Member of the Management Board of ORLEN SA Armen Artwich also spoke.

Thanks to the adopted spatial development plan for Polish maritime areas and the creation of appropriate legal regulations that fit the requirements and development needs, it has become feasible to grant permits and close this stage, which is necessary for the further construction of offshore wind energy.

The Ministry of Infrastructure assessed 132 applications, which translates into documentation of approx. 360,000 pages. The total capacity to be generated by the wind farms for which permits have been issued in the just-completed 2nd offshore phase is almost 9 GW. In contrast, the sum of the capacity in the 1st and 2nd offshore phases is approx. 15 GW.

The conference brought together key representatives of Poland’s most important players in the offshore wind energy industry: representatives of state and private entities. Representatives of the offshore industry’s research and training facilities were also in attendance in large numbers. The conference was centred around three thematic debates.

The rectors’ debate concerned offshore development, which can potentially become an engine for Poland’s technological development. It was attended by representatives of the Maritime University of Technology in Szczecin, the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, the Maritime University of Gdynia and the Gdansk University of Technology.

The concession owners’ debate focused on the reasons for involvement in offshore and the present and future of the offshore industry in Poland against the background of the industry’s long-term challenges. Participants included Orlen, PGE Baltica, Polenergia, Ocean Winds and RWE representatives.

During the debate, service providers and co-operators discussed the offshore market’s opportunities, challenges, shape and prospects. Representatives of the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority, PŻB Offshore, GE Power, Siemens Gamesa and Vestas participated in this debate.

The completion of location permits for offshore wind farms is a response to the need to develop the offshore industry and build Poland’s energy independence. Wind energy has been given priority while respecting the environment and the interests of other sea users. Thanks to planning the entire process, from preparing the spatial development plan to adapting the law to the current situation, it has been possible to issue permits that optimum use the Baltic’s potential. The permits pave the way for developing projects involving the entire maritime industry.

Source: PortalMorski.pl