Polish state-owned power company Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) has invited over a dozen parties to potentially cooperate with the company оn building up to 2.55 GW of offshore wind parks.
The Polish power group said in a statement that it was looking for an experienced partner with knowhow in developing offshore wind farms. The two facilities, the 1,500 MW Baltica 2 and 1,045 MW Baltica 3, will be situated 30 kilometers north of Poland's coast near the town of Leba with and set to be completed after 2025.
PGE intends to eventually sell up to a 50 percent stake in two special purpose vehicles that are preparing the offshore projects, continuing to operate them with the partner on a joint venture basis.
To meet the requirements, PGE’s partner should have appropriate experience in implementing this type of investment on the European market, be able to support these projects in their technical aspects and in contractor management and to share know-how in this area with PGE.
Offshore wind farms constitute one of PGE Group’s strategic development options after 2020. The undertaking is currently at the stage where the requisite environmental permits are being secured, wind conditions are being surveyed and works on power off-take and other technical activities are under-way. Preparations for preliminary geological surveys are also in progress.
“Wind measurements in the Baltic Sea in the area of the planned investment are on-going since January 2018. So far, the results confirm very good wind conditions for the surveyed areas. Estimated wind speeds at our locations might exceed 9 m/s,” said Henryk Baranowski, CEO of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.
PGE expects to receive a positive decision on environmental conditions for the wind farm next year. According to the schedule, electricity from PGE Group’s first offshore wind farm might start flowing around 2025, while commercial operation might begin in 2026.
The offshore wind farm construction program is in line with Poland’s Energy Policy 2040, recently sent out for consultations, which names offshore as one of the key tools for achieving renewables targets.