Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has described the 1500MW Baltica 2 offshore wind project as transformative for the economy.
Following yesterday’s final investment decision (FID) by PGE and Orsted on the project, Tusk said Poland can be a “leader in growth, a leader in European optimism and investment momentum”.
The investment is one of the largest in the history of Poland and is the start of a bigger ambition to build 18GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040, Tusk said.
“Thanks to cheap and clean energy from offshore wind farms, Poland will be competitive with all economies in the world and this is a message that everyone should hear, because it is a good message for every energy recipient in Poland.
“I am pleased with this cooperation with the Danish side, which in my opinion is exemplary on a European scale and I am convinced that all of Europe will be able to look at it with envy, and we can be proud of it,” he added.
Offshore construction work on the 1500MW Baltica 2 offshore wind project is set to begin this year, following removal of boulders from the seabed.
In 2026, the partners will begin installing monopile foundations, export cables and offshore substations.
After completing these stages, the installation of connecting cables between the foundations and offshore substations will take place, with installation of the project’s 107 turbines commencing in 2027.
At the same time, comprehensive tests of all cables and electrical components will be carried out, followed by the launch of the entire infrastructure in preparation for Baltica 2 to supply the Polish grid in the same year.
Agata Staniewska-Bolesta, Managing Director of Orsted Offshore Poland, said: “We are very proud that despite the macroeconomic challenges, we and our partner PGE have reached this important milestone by joining the competences of Poland’s largest electricity producer with Ørsted’s 30 years of experience as the global leader in offshore wind development.
“As Poland’s largest-ever renewable energy project, Baltica 2 will lead the way for Poland’s transition to green energy, producing green electricity to meet the needs of approximately 2.4 million Polish households and deliver first power in 2027.”
“Financing the energy transformation is one of the key tasks of the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego.
“A significant role in this process is played by funds from the National Recovery Plan from which our bank provides loans for specific projects.
“We are pleased that PGE is joining the group of beneficiaries with an ambitious investment, Baltica 2 offshore wind farm. Within two agreements PGE will receive about PLN 5.5 billion from NRP loans.
“Our bank has also granted PGE additional loan of PLN 530 million. In this project, as a Polish development bank, we are implementing our mission of increasing the energy security of Poland while using the European Union funds,” added Mirosław Czekaj, CEO of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego.