First Transition Pieces on Their Way — A Major Milestone for the Baltics 2 and Baltics 3 Offshore Projects - Poland at Sea

The offshore wind sector in Poland is advancing rapidly with the latest progress in the projects Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3. A significant milestone has been reached: the first “Transition Pieces” (TPs) – structural steel components for offshore wind turbines – have begun their voyage.

At the end of October, these massive components departed a manufacturing site in Antwerp and were transported by sea (via the Scheldt/Skalda river system) to the port at Vlissingen in the Netherlands. From there they will be stored temporarily and prepared for offshore installation scheduled for spring 2026.

What are Transition Pieces?

Transition Pieces are the steel interface structures that are mounted atop offshore turbine foundations (typically monopiles). They serve two key functions:

Acting as the connection between the foundation and the wind-turbine tower
Providing a servicing platform and safe access for maintenance operations.

For Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3, each of these TPs is about 17 metres tall, weighs nearly 400 tonnes, and will be shipped in sets of four per barge to improve efficiency and safety of operations.

Strong Polish Industry Involvement

A central emphasis in these projects is on local content: The secondary steel components for the TPs are being produced in Poland by the plant of Smulders Polska, thereby strengthening domestic industrial participation in the offshore wind rollout.

In total, approximately 100 of these Transition Pieces will be produced by Smulders and its partner Sif Group. Each unit will be outfitted with the necessary secondary steel produced in Poland before being installed offshore.

Project Scale and Significance

The combined capacity of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 wind farms will be around 1,440 MW. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2028, with first power being delivered in 2027.

Installation of the TPs signals the transition into the next phase of these projects—moving from manufacturing and logistics into offshore assembly and grid-connection. The delivery of clean, renewable energy from these farms will support Poland’s energy transition and energy security, providing electricity to over two million Polish households.