First turbines with Polish-made nacelles installed at the ORLEN Group's offshore wind farm
Next 15 MW turbines have been installed at the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, including the first three equipped with Polish nacelles manufactured at the Vestas plant in Szczecin. The investment developed by ORLEN Group and Northland Power is currently the most advanced offshore wind farm project in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. The first megawatt-hours of electricity from the wind farm are expected to be delivered as early as next year. It is estimated that Polish entities will account for over 20% of the total value of the project throughout its 30-year operational lifespan.
“We are determined to have first electricity delivered from our first offshore wind farm, Baltic Power, as early as next year, covering up to 3% of the country's energy demand. The key stage of the investment is underway, with advanced work taking place at sea. We are installing the first wind turbines with nacelles manufactured at a Polish factory in Szczecin. We are consistently striving to maximize the potential of local suppliers. Offshore wind farms are not only driving the development of Pomerania, but also the creation of a new and promising sector of Polish industry,” says Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
The wind turbines installed at the Baltic Power farm, together with monopile foundations are over 250 meters high. The swept area of the 115.5-meter-long blades exceeds the size of six soccer fields. Baltic Power is the first project to use recycled steel in the upper parts of some of the towers, reducing their carbon footprint by around 10% compared to traditional production methods. The construction phase is expected to be completed in 2026.
A key component of the 15 MW turbines are the nacelles, manufactured in Szczecin at the Vestas factory. This is the first Danish leader in the renewable energy sector for the offshore wind industry in Poland, employing over 700 people. Baltic Power is also the first commercial customer to install nacelles from the West Pomeranian factory.
The Baltic Power offshore wind farm is built using many components manufactured in Poland. In addition to nacelles, local plants supply steel structures for offshore power stations (Baltic Industrial Group, ARP), land cables (Tele-fonika Kable) and transition pieces (Smulders Polska). Polish companies are also conducting environmental studies (Mewo) and providing logistics and transport services. In addition, they are the general contractors for the service base in Łeba (Erbud) and the power station in the municipality of Choczewo (Enprom in a consortium with GE Vernova).
Baltic Power is the most advanced offshore wind farm project in Poland and the first to have commenced offshore installation. Once completed, the farm will generate up to 4 TWh of electricity per year, which represents 3% of the current national energy demand. The farm covers an area of 130 km² and is located 23 km from the shore, off the coast of Choczewo and Łeba.
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