Thirteen companies have responded to an invitation by Polish utility Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) Group to take part in developing over 2.5GW of offshore wind capacity in the Baltic Sea.
The site comprises a 1.5GW concession held by Elektrownia Wiatrowa Baltica-2 and 1045MW controlled by Elektrownia Wiatrowa Baltica-3.
The sites are located 25-30km from the coastal city of Leba.
First electricity will be delivered in 2025, with full commercial operations starting in 2026.
PGE Group invited potential partners for talks on the projects on 5 December last year.
According to PGE, potential partners must have appropriate experience in offshore wind in Europe.
They must be able to support technical aspects of the projects and have experience of how to manage contractors and be prepared to share knowledge with PGE.
PGE intends to eventually sell a 50% stake in two special purpose vehicles responsible for the offshore project to a strategic partner of its choosing and develop the wind farms as a joint venture.
The project’s current stage involves securing essential environmental permits, conducting wind strength surveys and performing works related to connection to the power grid as well as other technical activities.
Preparations for preliminary geological surveys are also in progress.
PGE chief executive Henryk Baranowski said: “We have finished the first stage of selection and we are happy with the large interest in cooperating with PGE Group on this project.
“Numerous stable partners have applied, including the largest players on the market, having thousands of megawatts completed in this technology so far.”