ORLEN has taken another step towards building a strong offshore wind sector in Poland. The Baltic East project has received an environmental decision setting out the conditions for the development of an offshore wind farm, issued by the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Gdansk (RDOS). The project will deliver approximately 1 GW of installed capacity, enough to supply more than 1.25 million households with clean energy.
“The environmental decision for Baltic East is a key milestone that opens the way for us to take part in Poland’s first offshore wind auction. This project will not only increase Poland’s offshore wind capacities, but above all create real opportunities for broad-based collaboration with domestic suppliers. Already at the development stage we have worked with dozens of Polish businesses. Our ambition is for Polish companies to account for as much as half of the project’s value over the farm’s entire lifecycle. We want to build a strong Polish value chain that will support the development of a modern economy and strengthen the position of local enterprises. ORLEN is consistently implementing the strategy announced earlier this year, in which we committed to growth, security and independence,” said Ireneusz Fafara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
“Securing the environmental decision in such a short timeframe is a major success, made possible by the expertise and commitment of the ORLEN Neptun team. This is an important milestone that allows us to continue the investment process and prepare Baltic East to take part in Poland’s first offshore wind auction. In parallel, we are working to secure financing and obtain all the necessary permits so that, in 2032, energy from our wind farm can be fed into the Polish grid. This is an ambitious project that will strengthen Poland’s position in offshore wind and open new opportunities for domestic suppliers,” said Janusz Bil, President of the Management Board of ORLEN Neptun.
To date, several dozen Polish companies have been involved in developing the Baltic East project. These include seven companies contracted to provide installation terminal services, over a dozen firms providing various types of advisory services, and a consortium of three Polish companies responsible for preliminary seismic and geotechnical surveys.
Environmental decision and offshore wind auction
The environmental decision for Baltic East is a prerequisite for the project to take part in Poland’s first offshore wind auction, scheduled for December. Under the auction, the Energy Regulatory Office (URE) will select offshore wind farm projects with a total capacity of up to 4 GW, which will receive support in the form of contracts for difference (CfD). Participation in the auction marks a key stage for Baltic East, which is now entering a decisive phase of development – from finalising the permitting to taking the final investment decision and commencing construction work. The project envisages extensive use of local content by engaging Polish companies in component supplies as well as logistics and service provision, which will strengthen the domestic value chain and, ultimately, the wider economy.
The RDOS decision covers turbines, foundations, offshore substations, and inter-array cables. A decision for the grid connection infrastructure is being sought through a separate environmental procedure. Baltic East already holds a siting decision (PSZW), a decision on the preliminary grid connection conditions for the transmission system, and a permit to lay and maintain cables within internal sea waters and the territorial sea (PUUK). Design and engineering work has also begun to prepare the documentation required for building permit applications.
Prior to receiving the decision, a dozen Polish companies carried out comprehensive environmental studies and analyses commissioned by the ORLEN Group. Their findings confirmed that the technical and organisational solutions proposed for Baltic East will effectively limit the project’s environmental impact. These include, among other measures, a corridor enabling migratory birds to fly across the offshore wind farm area and appropriate measures to protect the marine environment from underwater noise.
Baltic East
Baltic East is the second offshore wind farm being developed by the ORLEN Group. The project will be built across a 110 km² site, around 22.5 km off the Baltic Sea coast, adjacent to the Baltic Power wind farm currently under construction.
Continued offshore wind development is fundamental to Poland's energy security and the provision of affordable clean electricity. Baltic East is being developed under one of the Group's six offshore licences. First power generation is expected next year from the Baltic Power wind farm, which is being constructed jointly with Northland Power. The Baltic West project is also advancing in parallel, covering four licences in the Odra Bank area. All projects are being prepared to participate in Poland's support scheme for offshore wind farms, with the first stage being the December auction. Full delivery of all projects is planned by 2040.