What are the current challenges facing offshore wind energy in Poland and Europe? How can cooperation between Baltic Sea countries and investors improve energy security? What is needed to achieve the ambitious goals for offshore wind development? These and other questions were answered by Agata Staniewska-Bolesta, Managing Director of Ørsted Offshore Polska, and Bartosz Fedurek, CEO of PGE Baltica, during a discussion in Brussels on the future of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea, ‘Harnessing the Wind: The Future of Offshore Energy in the Baltic Sea’.
More than 100 people attended the industry meeting in Brussels. Among them were Urszula Zielińska, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment; Łukasz Koliński, Director at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy; Pierre Tardieu of WindEurope; and Niels Fuglsang, MEP from Denmark, member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).
“The development of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea is an issue for Europe’s security in the broadest sense, access to large amounts of renewable energy and thus independence from fossil fuel imports. In this context, the role of cooperation between the countries of the Baltic Sea basin and between investors is crucial. The focus of this cooperation is, of course, to ensure energy security for Europeans. I am convinced that we can improve the conditions for offshore in the region by sharing experiences and information and by exploiting synergies between projects and countries. Such synergies may include, for example, interconnectors between countries with different energy profiles in order to jointly create a stable and independent European bloodstream”, – said Agata Staniewska Bolesta, Managing Director of Ørsted Offshore Polska.
“Offshore wind is not just about energy transition, building offshore wind farms and supply chains. It is also about strong partnerships, deepening international relations, shared values and a common purpose that allows us to look boldly into the future, as our Polish-Danish example shows”, said Bartosz Fedurek, CEO of PGE Baltica.
“As an industry in Poland, we are still at the beginning of the road – a bit like a teenager compared to adult market participants around the world, exposed to all the childhood diseases associated with the development of a young market, requiring attention and care from legislators. But the example of the investment decision for Baltica 2 shows that even in such challenging times it is possible to reach a place that is our joint success and can be a model for others”, added the CEO of PGE Baltica, recalling how far the Baltica 2 project has come – from obtaining the site permit several years ago, through the establishment of the cooperation between PGE and Ørsted, to the FID in January this year.
Participants were welcomed by Arkadiusz Pluciński, Deputy Permanent Representative of Poland to the European Union. The event was jointly organised by PGE and Ørsted in cooperation with the Euractiv portal.
In January 2020, investors PGE and Ørsted made the final investment decision for the Baltica 2 project. With 107 turbines and a total capacity of 1.5 GW, the Baltica 2 offshore wind farm will be able to supply green energy to more than 2.5 million households in Poland, making a significant contribution to the transformation of the Polish energy sector.
PGE and Ørsted have already started to build the onshore connection infrastructure. They have also contracted all the necessary components to start the construction of Baltica 2 at sea and have signed all contracts for the installation of foundations, cables, turbines and offshore substations. The partners have all the necessary construction permits. They have signed a lease agreement for the port area in Gdansk for the installation of the turbines. A PGE operations and service centre will be built in Ustka to be used during the operational phase of the wind farm.
PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna
PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna is the largest electricity company and supplier of electricity and heat in Poland. Thanks to the combination of its own fuel resources and energy generation as well as the distribution networks it owns, PGE guarantees a safe and stable supply of electricity and heat to over 5.6 million customers. With a 6% share of the renewable energy market in Poland, the PGE Group is the largest domestic producer of electricity from renewable sources. The plan for the coming years is to further develop zero and low-emission energy sources – in particular based on wind and solar energy, as well as investments in energy storage, the construction of a nuclear power plant, modernisation of the distribution network and decarbonisation of the heating sector. PGE is a leader of change in the Polish energy sector. In the field of offshore wind energy, the PGE Group’s investment plan includes the country’s largest investments in offshore wind farms. The PGE Group’s Offshore Programme envisages the construction of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm by 2030, to be implemented in two stages – Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 – with a total installed capacity of up to 2.5 GW. After 2030, the Baltica 1 wind farm with a capacity of approx. 0.9 GW will be added to the Group’s portfolio. By acquiring new areas for development in the Baltic Sea, the PGE Group will be able to build further offshore wind farms by 2040. Together with the projects currently in progress, this will enable it to achieve an installed offshore capacity of over 7 GW. This means that the PGE Group is the largest investor in offshore wind energy in Poland in terms of planned capacity.
Ørsted
Ørsted’s vision is a world powered only by green energy. Ørsted develops, builds and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, plants for the production of renewable hydrogen and green fuels, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted is recognised by CDP Climate Change A List as a world leader in climate action and was the first energy company in the world to have its science-based net zero emissions target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Ørsted is headquartered in Denmark and employs around 8,900 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2023, the group’s revenue amounted to DKK 79.3 billion (EUR 10.6 billion). The company has been operating in Poland since 2012, employing over 800 people in its Warsaw office. Together with PGE, Ørsted is building the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm. With a total capacity of 2.5 GW, the investment will significantly contribute to the transformation of the Polish energy sector, providing green energy for almost 4 million households in Poland.
