“The Polish Baltic Sea coast has great potential for the development of the offshore sector. At the height of Ustka, approx. 50 km from the coastline, we are intensively developing the 350 MW F.E.W. Baltic II project, which we will rely on the local community providing several dozen jobs and cooperating with many Polish companies and subcontractors. We are applying for 11 further areas in which we could carry out similar investments, we want to make even better use of our experience and resources for the further development of offshore wind energy.” – Aleksandra Spychalska, Development Manager responsible for the offshore area at RWE Renewables.

Poland is intensifying efforts to develop offshore wind energy. One of the elements of the process of building, and then operating, wind farms in the Baltic Sea is the procedure for obtaining the so-called location permit (PSZW – permit to erect and exploit artificial islands, structures and equipment for offshore wind farms). RWE Renewables has submitted 11 applications for new offshore location permits in the last three months.

Currently, RWE teams operating in Gdynia, Słupsk and Warsaw are intensively working on the F.E.W. Baltic II project, which will ultimately employ several dozen people. The investment is on schedule, which means that in 2024. construction of the service base in the port of Ustka will commence. The contracting phase is underway to select the subcontracting companies responsible for the project. Thanks to accorging competences, Polish subcontractors will contribute to the development of the Baltic II farm and gain valuable experience in the new domestic energy sector.

“By applying for all 11 sites, we want to engage even more strongly in the development of the offshore sector in our country. The experience of RWE, the competence of our entire team and the investment potential may be a very important contribution to the acceleration of the green energy transformation through a large-scale construction of first offshore wind farms”, emphasises Aleksandra Spychalska, Development Manager responsible for the offshore area at RWE Renewables.

RWE, one of the five largest onshore operators in Poland, operates offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 8 GW. The company is active in markets such as the UK, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. It operates offshore farms throughout Europe, including on the Danish (Rødsand 2: 207 MW, RWE 20% share), Swedish (Kårehamn: 48 MW) and German Baltic Sea coasts (Arkona: 385 MW, RWE 50% share). Poland is a strategic market for RWE, which is visible through a number of offshore, onshore and photovoltaic projects that are currently being implemented in this country.

“We believe that the permitting process will result in positive decisions for us for the new locations. Obtaining permits by RWE for work on subsequent offshore wind farm projects is undoubtedly a great opportunity for mutual knowledge exchange and technology transfer. It will allow drawing on 20 years of experience of RWE in the area of development, construction and operation of similar projects in Europe as well as research on innovative technologies, creating added value for development of the offshore wind sector. Our completed projects in the offshore area confirm that we are able to efficiently and timely execute these highly skilled investments”, adds Aleksandra Spychalska.

The efficiency of the entire process of location granting, and then construction and production of electric energy from offshore wind farms, is a key element of Poland’s energy transformation process and achievement of the diversification of energy sources that are necessary today. Development of the offshore sector will significantly increase the share of RES in Poland’s energy mix and bring our country closer to the goal of a zero-emissions economy.

In Poland, RWE operates onshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of 410 MW. More projects are in the pipeline or under construction. In 2022, RWE plans, among other things, the launch of onshore wind farm Rozdrażew (16.8 MW) and construction of another onshore facility – Żnin (48 MW). RWE also supports Polish industry in the process of green transformation. One example is the LECH Nowy Staw III wind farm in the Pomeranian province, which will soon start producing energy for several breweries operating in our country. In addition, RWE is diversifying its Polish RES portfolio by investing in photovoltaic farm projects. RWE plans to build more than 80 MW of new PV projects in 2022 and 2023.