Offshore wind farms

In June 2023 a contract was signed with a consortium of SEMCO Maritime and PTSC Mechanical & Construction to design, manufacture and commission offshore substations for the Baltica 2 project. There will be four stations, each equipped with two transformers to collect the electricity generated by the wind turbines before exporting it onshore.

The next important step was signing a contract for the supply of foundations with a consortium of companies Navantia and Windar, as well as with Steelwind. The Navantia-Windar consortium will deliver 77 monopiles, the largest of which exceed 100 meters in length and weighs more than 2 000 tons. They will be used for the installation of turbines and offshore transformer stations. Their production will begin in 2024. The remaining 34 monopiles will be supplied by Steelwind. The schedule calls for production of these foundations to begin in the second half of 2025.

The 66 kV submarine inter-array cables with a total length of approx. 170 km, which will connect the turbines with the offshore transformer stations, will be manufactured by Orient Cable (NBO), and the marine export cables by ZTT and Hellenic Cables. The fleet of Boskalis has been contracted to lay and connect them.

Thus, PGE and Ørsted finalized in 2023 the contracting of all major components for the offshore part of Baltica 2 in 2023, additionally securing cable installation and connection for this investment project.

In January 2024 PGE Group and Ørsted signed an agreement with GE Vernova, represented in Poland by GE Power Sp. z o.o., and Polimex Mostostal, the consortium which will construct the onshore infrastructure necessary for exporting power from Baltica 2 – one of two stages of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm. The onshore connection infrastructure for Baltica 2 will be built in the Pomerania region of Poland, in vicinity of Osieki Lęborskie, in the Choczewo commune, in the Wejherowo district. General Contractor will implement the contract in the Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode. The task comprises developing of the 275/400 kV high-voltage transformer substation and onshore export cable lines necessary for transmit the power to the National Power System. The first construction works are planned to start in 2024, while testing and putting the connection infrastructure online is scheduled for 2026 and 2027.

In February 2024 PGE Group and Ørsted contracted vessels to transport and install foundations for the Baltica 2 project, one of two phases of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm. Van Oord, the successful bidder, will transport and install 111 monopiles, the type of foundation that will be used in the construction of Baltica 2. From which 107 will serve as foundations for wind turbines, and the remaining 4 will be used as foundations for offshore substations.

Also at the beginning of 2024 Grupa PGE Group and Ørsted contracted vessels to install the second part of the wind turbines for the Baltica 2 project – the contract for the installation of the first batch of turbines was awarded to Fred. Olsen Windcarrier and the second batch of turbines will be installed by Cadeler.

In turn, in March 2024 PGE i Ørsted signed a contract for the transport and installation of offshore transformer stations for the Baltica 2 project with Seaway7 – a world leader in the implementation of offshore wind energy projects.

In August 2023 The European Investment Bank (EIB) issued a preliminary credit decision for the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm project. For each of the stages, Baltica 2 and Baltica 3, there is one tranche to be mobilized under the Project Finance formula in the amount of EUR 350 million, as well as one tranche per each stage to be mobilized based on guarantees from financial institutions, banks or export credit agencies, bringing the total package to EUR 1.4 billion – this is a significant step towards securing the optimal financing structure to build PGE’s first offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea.

Already in 2024, a contract was signed with Geoquip Marine for preliminary geotechnical campaign of the seabed for the Baltica 1 Offshore Wind Farm project. The main objective of the planned geotechnical campaign in the offshore wind turbine area is to obtain preliminary information about the geological structure of the surveyed area. The information obtained will be used, among others, to select the optimal foundation method for the wind turbine towers and to plan the next stages of surveys, including geotechnical surveys for the foundations.

Also in 2024, ground investigations for the onshore part for Baltica 1 have started. The area of investigation will include the construction site of the future onshore transformer station and cable bench, i.e. the infrastructure related to power derivation. The surveys are being carried out by the Polish company Geoteko. The research will result in the documentation necessary for the technical design of the onshore connection.

In March 2024 PGE Baltica signed an agreement with a consortium of companies: Geofizyka Toruń, Przedsiębiorstwo Geologiczne GEOPROJEKT Szczecin and “PROJMORS” Biuro Projektów Budownictwa Morskiego to carry out a geological survey, including geotechnical and geophysical surveys and documentation of results for landfall horizontal directional drilling needed for the Baltica 1 Offshore Wind Farm. The survey will allow for the preparation of documentation that is needed to develop a soil model necessary for the proper design of the land-to-sea cable passage for the Baltica 1 Offshore Wind Farm.

In April 2024 geotechnical and construction designer was selected for the stage of seabed survey for the Baltica 1 project in the future offshore wind farm area and the export cable route. The contract was signed with Gavin and Doherty Geosolutions of the Venterra Group from Ireland.

In 2023 the Ministry of Infrastructure issued further decisions on granting permits for the erection of artificial islands, structures and equipment in Polish maritime areas for projects involving the construction of offshore wind farms. The final decision concerns five permits for the PGE Group, which will enable it to build further offshore wind farms in the future. The total potential capacity of the wind farms planned for construction in the new areas is approximately 3.9 GW.

PGE Group has been allocated areas: 43.E.1 and 44.E.1, located close to PGE’s offshore wind farm projects being developed and the service port in Ustka, which is under construction; further areas 60.E.3 and 60.E.4 located near the Baltica 1 projects; and 45.E.1 in the vicinity of the ongoing Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 projects, which PGE applied for jointly with Ørsted.

Capacity potential of new areas: over 3.9 GW

A similar idea of increasing the share of local content and building added value in the Polish economy is guiding the Sectoral Agreement for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Poland, of which PGE is one of the signatories.

We also continuously engage in dialogue with suppliers and subcontractors as part of Suppliers Days which are jointly organised by PGE and Ørsted. In 2022 PGE Baltica organised two workshops-presentations for potential suppliers and subcontractors. In 2023 the event took place in October. Representatives of companies from all over Poland and abroad interested in getting involved in the implementation of the Baltica 2 project took part in a meeting organised for them at the PGE National Stadium. The Suppliers’ Day was an opportunity for individual meetings with suppliers of components and services already contracted by PGE and Ørsted. The event was attended by almost five hundred participants, who had the opportunity to take part in almost 70 business networking sessions.

It will also provide an opportunity to strengthen the Polish scientific thought. This is why PGE Baltica has started to develop a network of scientific cooperation. In this way, it wants to involve Polish universities and scientific institutions in the development of the Polish offshore wind energy sector, while at the same time building Poland’s local content potential. On the one hand, such cooperation brings with it the possibility of adjusting new technologies to the requirements of the offshore wind energy sector on the basis of joint scientific and research projects, while, on the other hand, it is an excellent opportunity to establish a basis for training future personnel so necessary for the dynamically growing new sector. PGE Baltica organises a postgraduate programme of studies in the area of offshore wind power generation together with the Maritime University in Gdynia and the Gdańsk University of Technology. Furthermore, at the Gdańsk University of Technology, it supports the master’s degree programme addressed to studies intending to specialise in designing and building marine power generation and distribution systems.

The postgraduate programme entitled “Offshore wind energy: preparation, implementation and management of investment projects” is a reaction to demand for specialists in this particular discipline. Launched in October 2022, this is a new course developed jointly by PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna and the Łazarski University in Warsaw. This is the first course in Poland whose objective is to prepare specialists managing investment processes in the offshore wind energy sector.

In close cooperation with scientific institutions, the Centre in Ustka plans to implement state-of-the-art technologies, including an innovative concept for the construction of a so-called digital twin based on the Hi Tech technology for training and preventive diagnostics, build a unique set of simulators in a VR (virtual reality) model for training purposes, develop a methodology for testing innovative technologies in an operational environment and conditions for conducting implementation-oriented doctoral research studies and storing the acquired knowledge. The commercialisation of undertaken projects and close attention paid to compliance with intellectual property protection regulations will create sources of real revenue and significantly optimise O&M costs.

Planning to create a comprehensive education programme for young people interested in a career in the offshore wind energy sector, PGE Baltica also invited selected Pomeranian secondary schools, such as the General and Technical Schools Complex in Ustka and the Technical Schools Complex in Malbork – Technical School no. 2, to show their pupils opportunities related to employment at offshore wind farms. PGE Baltica’s support for these schools will include, among other things, the purchase of textbooks for three outstanding pupils, donations for the purchase of equipment for a mechanical and measurement laboratory, the organisation of specialist theoretical and practical classes, and participation in the preparation of technical personnel for PGE Baltica’s investment projects.