Orlen Group together with Northland Power signed a cooperation agreement concerning the construction of an installation port in Świnoujście, whereas the Danish company Vestas will open a long-awaited wind turbine nacelle factory in Szczecin. This will make Zachodniopomorskie province the Polish leader in the development of offshore wind farms, which will revolutionise the energy transition of our country. The huge investments by Orlen and Vestat will create an impulse for the development of the entire region and open vast opportunities for the local supply chain, Polish Wind Energy Association experts emphasize.
The cooperation agreement concerning the construction of an installation terminal in Świnoujście has been signed on Thursday in Szczecin by and between PKN Orlen, Northland Power and Szczecin and Swinoujscie Seaports Authority SA. The construction is to end at the turn of 2024 and 2025, and the terminal is to be launched in 2025, employing approximately 100. The terminal site, with an area of approximately 20 hectares, will receive offshore wind farm components, including turbines manufactured by Vestas. Each of two available quays will enable pre-installation of wind turbine towers in excess of 100 metres high, weighing approximately 1,000 tonnes each.
The Vestas turbine factory in Szczecin, expected to employ 600–700, will be completed in the second half of 2024. The new Vestas facility will assemble turbine nacelles and hubs. The elements will be delivered both to Polish and global markets.
The Szczecin plant will manufacture elements of 76 turbines with a capacity of 15 MW that will be used in a joint offshore wind farm project in the Baltic Sea implemented by PKN Orlen and Northland Power. Cooperation with Vestas includes delivery and installation of turbines as well as full maintenance for a period of up to 15 years.
This is a great development leap for Szczecin and Świnoujście, which provided the best response to RES investors’ needs, experts note.
“The strategic investment in infrastructure coupled with experience of global leaders is the first step towards creating a strong offshore wind sector in Poland, which, together with onshore wind, will build Poland’s energy independence. The development of the sector will contribute to a substantial increase in the share of RES in the Polish energy mix and secure the supply of clean electricity for hundreds of thousand households. More importantly, wind energy is based on a complicated supply chain, which translates into a number of investments and new jobs. It is assumed that, subject to appropriate care for the so-called local content, in the years to come the Polish offshore sector will become a substantial development impulse for the entire Polish economy,” emphasized Janusz Gajowiecki, President of the Polish Wind Energy Association.
Exploitation of the vast offshore wind potential in the Baltic sea is a great opportunity for the Polish economy. Poland follows the example of countries such as United Kingdom or the Netherlands, which increase and pursue their offshore wind goals for years, providing substantial contribution to the national economy and improving energy security. This is particularly important today, in the face of the war in Ukraine and Russian energy blackmail. More about the challenges faced by the Polish offshore sector will be discussed during the Offshore Wind Poland Conference in Warsaw on 16–17 November.
Exploitation of the vast offshore wind potential in the Baltic sea is a great opportunity for the Polish economy. Poland follows the example of countries such as United Kingdom or the Netherlands, which increase and pursue their offshore wind goals for years, providing substantial contribution to the national economy and improving energy security. This is particularly important today, in the face of the war in Ukraine and Russian energy blackmail. More about the challenges faced by the Polish offshore sector will be discussed during the