At the beginning of February, Vestas and the local authorities in Szczecin ceremoniously laid the foundation stone for the new Vestas factory. We talk to Małgosia Bartosik, Deputy General Director of the WindEurope, about the opportunities for Poland offered by the newly built Vestas factory.
OffshoreWindPoland.pl: How important is the start of construction of the new Vestas factory in Szczecin for the Polish and European wind industry?
Małgosia Bartosik: The EU wants to install 420 GW of wind energy by 2030 to meet its climate and energy security goals, up from 276 GW today. And it wants to achieve this by using wind turbines ‘Made in Europe’. Production capacity needs to increase in Europe to be able to reach these targets. So we need many more investments like this. Our offshore wind supply chain can today make up to 7 GW a year of new turbines. But from 2026 onwards it needs to make 20 GW a year to deliver Europe’s ambitious targets for the expansion of offshore wind. There are already bottlenecks in the manufacturing capacity for the foundations of offshore turbines and in the availability of vessels to install them.
It is great that the Polish Government is supporting these initiatives too. Last year 26 Member States formally committed to the actions set out in the European Commission’s ‘’Wind Power Package’’ by endorsing the “European Wind Charter”. Member States must deliver on these actions to reach the EU’s energy targets. The commitment shown by the Polish government is a good example for other Governments.
How do you see this new factory in the context of an opportunity for Poland and Szczecin? What does it mean for the country and the Polish city?
Poland already has a strong supply chain for offshore and onshore wind. This new factory will provide the region around Szczecin with many employment opportunities. The new offshore nacelle and assembly factory will create at least 700 direct jobs to start with. It will be complemented by a second factory on the same site producing blades. Taken together, the two factories are expected to create more than 1.700 direct jobs by 2026. So, the strong commitment of Poland to build offshore wind will pay off in terms of clear new jobs and an economic boost for Polish coastal areas.
Poland has set the target of commissioning 6 GW offshore wind by 2030, and 18 GW by 2040. The new factory will play a vital role in supplying Europe’s and especially Poland’s growing offshore wind fleet too.
In your opinion, could Poland be a major player in the European wind energy sector?
With this new factory Poland is showing leadership. And there’s a lot more potential for expansion of its already existing supply chain. Poland will be a leader in offshore wind in the Baltic Sea. So, it only makes sense it will play a big role in strengthening the production capacity around the Baltic Sea too. Not to mention all the extra jobs that will be created in the process of actually building these wind farms. Poland also has many workers with the right skill set that can be reskilled to work in the wind industry. This is already happening for those who used to work in coal mines or the fishing industry.
Thank you
