125 applications for offshore wind farm concessions in Poland’s Baltic zone
Poland’s Deputy Infrastructure Minister Marek Gróbarczyk told the Sejm on Thursday that 125 applications for offshore wind farm concessions in new offshore areas have been submitted so far.
During the discussion on the government’s information on the potential and development of the offshore wind energy sector in Poland, the Deputy Infrastructure Minister Marek Gróbarczyk informed that so far 11 location permits for offshore wind farms have been issued for the so-called old locations.
– As for new locations, in January, February and March 2022, the Minister of Infrastructure published a total of 11 notices on the possibility of submitting new applications, which correspond to 11 areas. To date, a total of 125 applications have been received and are being assessed and verified, the deputy minister said.
As Gróbarczyk added, the last deadline for submitting applications is 16 May. The whole process of assigning further locations and concessions should be completed by the end of 2022. – he pointed out.
While presenting the information, the government’s plenipotentiary for renewable energy sources, Deputy Minister for Climate Ireneusz Zyska emphasised that offshore wind energy is an innovative sector that “will allow the development of new technologies and will create many thousands of well-paid jobs.
– Poland has a great potential to be the leader of this market in Central and Eastern Europe – he added.
Zyska reminded us that the first offshore wind farm projects are at the final stage of final environmental decisions and construction permits, and the first energy generation will take place in 2026. By 2030, energy should be generated by farms with a capacity of 5.9 GW – he added.
The Government Plenipotentiary for Renewable Energy Sources also emphasized, that according to the current assumptions of the Polish Energy Policy for 2040, in the Baltic Sea Polish zone, the farms with a capacity of 11 GW are expected, but – as he pointed out – the potential of the national Baltic Sea area is much greater.
– As part of the PEP update, we will verify the share of RES, including offshore, and offshore wind farms have a chance to receive a higher priority – he stressed.
– Poland has the best conditions in the Baltic, with relatively shallow waters and substrate and excellent wind conditions. Practically 90 percent of the time there are perfect conditions for turbines to work – said Zyska.
As the deputy climate minister added, the government will strive to ensure the best possible conditions for the development of offshore projects and the entire sector.
source: PortalMorski.pl
