So far we do not exploit the benefits stemming from offshore wind energy development, Polish Wind Energy Association informs. It is estimated that by 2030 the industry could contribute as much as 6 GW of new capacity to the Polish energy sector, which is facing generating capacity shortages. Furthermore, it would contribute to the creation of approximately 25 thousand new jobs. However, this requires regulatory changes that would allow investors to continue investments that have already been launched.
“In recent years the conditions for offshore wind energy development substantially improved in many countries around Europe and worldwide, whereas in Poland the conditions deteriorated despite the Renewable Energy Sources Act being adopted and becoming effective. The new regulations include but a few solutions dedicated to offshore. The offshore wind energy is crucial for the Polish economy, for it soon may become our national industry specialty, creating many new, stable and well-paid jobs. However, to exploit the benefits we need adaptation of the support scheme recently announced in the new RES Act to the actual offshore wind energy investment conditions. Such an approach to the development of new technologies is recommended by the European Commission, which recently approved the German plans to support 20 offshore wind farms. It is worth to use solutions that successfully develop modern industry and create jobs in other countries”, said Wojciech Cetnarski, President of Polish Wind Energy Association.
In Europe offshore wind energy is subject to dynamic development, creating a new, promising market. European Wind Energy Association forecasts that offshore wind installed capacity in 2020 may reach 40 GW, whereas in 2030 – as much as 150 GW[1]. Countries where offshore wind farms are being built often have clear offshore targets for particular years. The Polish government should follow the example and publicly declare how much offshore wind farm capacity has to be built in Poland, and when. The 6 GW of offshore wind energy scenario, even if extended beyond 2030, is still feasible and would bring many benefits so much needed by the Polish economy.
However, offshore wind energy investors still face many problems in Poland. One of the fundamental issues is high investment uncertainty. Bids submitted under the auction scheme must be preceded, among others, by numerous studies concerning the planned investment, including environmental and wind resource analyses. Without knowing whether or not an auction will be won the investors also have to incur location application development costs. The situation could be changed – with regard to the issues – by a support scheme dedicated to the offshore sector or inclusion of the offshore wind energy in the development strategy for the entire energy sector, as, for example, in the United Kingdom. In the UK energy vendor has to document that a certain part of energy delivered to consumers is produced from RES. However, each RES technology is subject to a different level of support, with offshore wind energy achieving one of the highest support factors. Currently it receives two green certificates per each megawatthour of produced energy. This is twice as much as in the case of onshore wind farms. From 2017 the scheme is to be substituted with a new feed-in tariff scheme. However, all farms commissioned by 31 March 2017 will have the capacity to benefit from the green certificates scheme for 20 years.
In Poland, apart from a dedicated offshore support scheme, the development of the offshore wind energy sector depends on the amendment to the Act on maritime areas of the Republic of Poland and maritime administration of 21 March 1991. The pending works on the amendment to the Act open the best opportunity to introduce the necessary corrections. Most result from the excessively long uncertainty period caused by prolonged works on the RES Act and existing connection conditions. To date such conditions have been issued to just two projects with a total capacity of 2250 MW; however, the capacity stemming from submitted applications is much higher. The transmission grid operator, to whose grid offshore wind farms are to be connected, already announced that implementation of further projects will require additional grid extension.
In such circumstances the very short validity of already issued investment permits, which shall be extended from 8 to 11 years, is a substantial issue. “Some of the industry’s remarks have been accepted during public consultations. The draft amended Act extends, among others, the time for acquisition of a building permit. However, we need further changes, including the capacity to change technical parameters, if required by the investment. Without such changes the investors will not be capable of continuing their projects, what would expose Poland to the loss of many benefits that are at hand. Therefore, we hope that the Parliament will adopt the new Act including the solutions still in the current term”, said Arkadiusz Sekściński, PWEA Vice-President.
The development of the offshore wind energy is a great opportunity for the Polish economy. So far, following the 2011 amendment of the Act on maritime areas, investors that received more than 30 permits paid almost PLN 105 million to the state budget. An example demonstrating the potential of the offshore wind energy is the history of a bankrupt shipbuilding centre in the German city of Bremerhaven, where €40 million from the EU and national funds were invested in the development of the offshore wind energy base. This resulted in 3000 jobs and further €250 million of investments from industry investors. Currently Bremerhaven is the offshore wind energy service centre for the eastern North Sea. Polish shipyards are already working for the offshore wind energy industry. However, so far their production is exported to countries that operate such farms. For example, the Crist shipyard (established after the fall of Gdynia Shipyard) already completed more than 300 service vessels for offshore wind farms and hydrotechnical structures. Offshore industry projects also involve companies such as Elektromontaż-Północ Gdynia or Nauta and MSR Gryfia shipyards. Each of the companies employs several hundred people. With offshore wind farms development in the Polish sea area the employment in such companies would certainly increase.
The construction of 6 GW of new capacity offshore entails a cost of approximately €20 billion. Had wind farms been built in the Polish sea area, at least half of this amount would supply the Polish economy and become a strong incentive of its further development.
The future of and forecasts concerning offshore wind energy development in Poland constituted the main theme of the “Development of offshore wind energy in the context of the EU climate policy” thematic block, co-organized by PWEA during the International Maritime Congress in Szczecin. The third edition of the Congress was held on 10-12 June 2015 in Radisson Blu hotel. The event became an established item in the agenda of the maritime industry.