Poland Ripe for Offshore Wind Boom

Poland could have 4GW of installed offshore wind capacity in the Baltic Sea by the end of 2030 and 8GW by the end of 2035, according to the Foundation for Sustainable Energy (FNEZ).

If built to the projected capacity, offshore wind farms could feed between 30 and 36TWh of electricity per year to the Polish grid from 2035 onward, FNEZ said.

According to FNEZ’s recent analyses as part of the Baltic Energy for Poland 2025 program, offshore energy can play a key role in ensuring energy security for the country in the period between 2025 to 2035 in conjunction with a parallel development of gas power sources at approximately 4GW and the construction of a transnational offshore grid interconnection with a 2-3GW capacity.

Offshore energy also represents an economic boost to Poland’s industry, FNEZ said, emphasizing that local companies have been providing components to the industry by specializing in the production of foundations, towers and steel structures, marine cables and transformer stations, as well as vessels for the construction and servicing of offshore wind farms.

“According to analysis performed by FNEZ, after 2020 offshore energy may become one of the key pillars of the Polish economy. Polish maritime industry could provide up to 60-70 percent share of the supply chain for OWF. However, in order to use the Baltic Sea energy potential and create a competitive offshore sector in Poland it is necessary to create a stable legal and market conditions that will be incentivize investments,” said Maciej Stryjecki, the President of the Management Board at FNEZ.

Currently, the foundation is working on scenarios for the energy sector, including the development of offshore wind and gas, as well as electricity and gas transmission grids.

FNEZ has recently established a Memorandum of the Polish Offshore Energy Sector (PPPEM) in cooperation with entities from the maritime industry, offshore energy, wind energy, steel industry and manufacturers of offshore constructions, ships, and cables.

The PPPEM (Porozumienie Polskiego Przemysłu Energetyki Morskiej) has gathered 40 entities, including the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society (PTME), that see the development of offshore energy investments, especially offshore wind energy, as an opportunity for creating an innovative, competitive and powerful Polish industry.