Investors Equinor and Polenergia have signed amendments to their contracts with the Jan De Nul Group and the Hellenic Cables consortium. These amendments expand the scope of cooperation on the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 projects. Under the amendments, the main contractor, together with Helix Robotics Solutions Limited as subcontractor, will clear boulders from the submarine power cable route prior to installation.
Work on the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farm projects is proceeding according to schedule. Horizontal directional drilling has commenced at the submarine export cable landfall location, and construction of the service base in Łeba, which will serve both farms, is also underway. Preparations for offshore operations are also underway.
This involves first relocating individual large boulders using an ROV grapple and then removing clusters of densely distributed boulders using Helix’s specialised i-Plough unit. Both tools are operated from separate floating vessels and are designed to effectively clear the corridor designated for export cable installation.
The i-Plough, a boulder removal plough manufactured by Helix Robotics Solutions, is one of only a few such specialised machines in the world. Securing this unit for the Bałtyk 2 and 3 projects was crucial for the effective execution of next year’s installation works. Using the grapple and plough to clear the cable route is an efficient method of removing boulders that could threaten the safe installation of submarine cables.
The amendments extend the scope of collaboration with the Jan De Nul Group and Hellenic Cables consortium, the primary contractor responsible for designing, manufacturing, supplying, and installing the export cables for the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 projects. Equinor and Polenergia recently made final investment decisions for both farms and secured their financing.
The first power from the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 farms is expected to flow to the grid in 2027, with commercial operations beginning the following year.
