Baltic Power Project Driving New Investments
Strategic Research Institute
Published on :
28 Oct, 2022, 4:45 am
Poland’s first installation terminal to be located in Swinoujscie and a turbine factory to be built by Vestas in Szczecin are two new investment projects now afoot in connection with the Baltic Power offshore wind farm. The joint venture project between the ORLEN Group and Northland Power will require 76 state-of-the-art 15 MW turbines from Vestas, whose components will be manufactured at the supplier’s new assembly factory in Szczecin. The turbine factory, to be manned by a staff of up to 700, is scheduled for completion in 2024, while the ORLEN Group’s installation terminal at the Port of Swinoujscie will commence operations in 2025.
Parts delivered for installation to the approximately 20-hectare terminal site will be offshore wind farm components, including turbines manufactured by Vestas. Each of the two available wharves will enable initial installation of wind turbine towers more than 100 metres high, weighing about 1,000 tonnes each. The length of each wharf (250 metres) will suffice to accommodate the operation of the largest specialised jack-up vessels currently available for installing offshore wind farm components. The port is expected to commence operations in 2025, and will employ around 100 people during the installation work.
The ORLEN Group’s investment in an installation port to be constructed at the Port of Swinoujscie is crucial from the point of view of the time frames of both the Baltic Power project and future projects to be undertaken by ORLEN Neptun within Polish waters of the Baltic Sea by 2040.
The first project to be delivered with the support of the installation terminal in Swinoujscie will be Baltic Power, a joint venture between the ORLEN Group and Northland Power. Thanks to a determined effort of a team of nearly 90 experts from 10 countries, it is now the most advanced project within Polish waters of the Baltic Sea. The company has already secured all key components of the offshore wind farm through a partially local supply chain.
The Baltic Power wind farm will feature 76 turbines, each with a capacity of 15 MW, to be supplied by Vestas. These turbines are currently at the cutting edge of what is available on the market, and Baltic Power will be one of the world’s first wind farms where they will be deployed. The contract with Vestas provides for the supply and installation of the turbines and the provision of a full range of maintenance services for up to 15 years. In addition, recognising further development potential of the Polish offshore wind sector, the company has decided to locate its new assembly factory in Szczecin.
The new Vestas factory will assemble turbine nacelles and hubs. The facility, located in the region of Western Pomerania, will supply manufactured components to the Polish and global markets. The factory is expected to start operations in the second half of 2024, providing between 600 and 700 jobs. Thus, it will be the largest manufacturing plant in Poland linked directly to the offshore wind sector.
The Baltic Power farm, with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW, will be located about 23 kilometres off the coastline, near Choczewo and Leba. When completed in 2026, it will be able to generate clean energy for more than 1.5 million households.