Orlen Group plans to launch first installation port for offshore wind farms in 2025
Orlen Group is planning to launch the first installation port for offshore wind farms on the Polish Baltic coast at the Port of Świnoujście in 2025. Orlen Neptun, Orlen Group’s company for new offshore wind energy projects, is seeking to lease land for the future facility.
As PKN Orlen said on Thursday, the installation port located in Western Pomerania, together with a second one planned for Gdansk, “will be able to provide comprehensive services for all wind projects on the Baltic”.
– Orlen Neptun, the company responsible within Orlen Group for the development of new offshore wind energy projects, entered the final stage of the procedure for the lease of land in the Port of Świnoujście, the company said in a communiqué. In case the company wins the procedure, it will be possible to launch the first installation port for offshore wind farms on the Polish coast at the beginning of 2025.
According to PKN Orlen, on the 20 ha leased from the Swinoujscie Port, it is planned to build an infrastructure capable of handling large vessels, transporting key components of wind farms, such as turbines, their towers and foundations; specialist vessels carrying out advanced construction works would also sail from the port.
– Offshore wind energy is an effective response to the challenges of energy transition and increasing security in our region. However, to fully exploit its potential, it is necessary to achieve economies of scale. Therefore, apart from the already implemented project of the wind farm, which is to start production in 2026, Orlen Group has applied for concessions for another 11 projects on the Baltic,” PKN Orlen CEO Daniel Obajtek said, quoted in the company’s announcement.
As he underlined, “implementation of such large-scale projects” requires Orlen Group to ensure appropriate infrastructure.
– Two installation ports will be able to effectively secure the needs related to these investments, but they will also be strong development impulses for the entire regions, Obajtek assessed.
PKN Orlen recalled, that the development of offshore wind energy is the cornerstone of the company’s development strategy 2030, whereby “within a decade the company intends to allocate PLN 47 bln for investments in modern low and zero-emission energy.
In addition to the advanced Baltic Power wind farm project with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW, the Orlen Group – as noted in the information – “has also applied for eleven licences, whose total potential is estimated at over 10 GW”.
– This power would be able to satisfy 25% of Poland’s demand for electricity. Moreover, the company is analysing the possibility of similar investments in the Lithuanian and Latvian Baltic area – PKN Orlen said.
At the same time, the company mentioned that “according to Poland’s Energy Policy, between 9 and 11 GW of installed renewable energy capacity is to be created in Polish waters by 2040”.
– Construction of modern installation terminals in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea Investments in ports, carried out with the participation of Polish suppliers, will also be a significant impulse for the development of regions and the national economy – PKN Orlen announced.
source: PortalMorski.pl
