11 April 2018
Ambitious 8 GW of offshore wind planned that will put Poland back on wind energy map
State-owned Polish Transmission System Operator, PSE, has said that as much as 8 GW of offshore wind capacity could be installed in Poland.
PSE President Eryk Kłosowski said that 4 GW of offshore wind could be installed in the Polish Baltic Sea by 2026/27 with up to 8 GW in the longer term.
Poland has become a major player in the offshore wind supply chain in recent years with major investments in the manufacturing of turbine foundations and the cranes and jack-up vessels used in installation and maintenance. The Polish wind industry now supports 12,000 jobs. This number would grow significantly with the development of a domestic offshore wind market.
WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said: “This commitment to help kick-start the Polish offshore wind market is excellent news. After a period of stagnation in onshore wind, it will put Poland back on the European wind energy map. It’ll help diversify Poland’s energy mix and it’ll support further growth and job creation in Poland’s successful offshore wind supply chain. The skills and industrial expertise needed to meet these volumes is in place. It’s great the TSO has confirmed that the Polish electricity grid can support them too. The Baltic Sea offers enormous growth potential for offshore wind and it’s very good to see that Poland is gearing up to play its part in fulfilling that”.
According to Janusz Gajowiecki, President of the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA): “Today Polish companies could deliver up to 50% of the components required to build offshore wind farms. PWEA has identified almost 80 companies that could deliver the necessary products and services, starting from offshore wind farm design and planning, production and installation of turbine components and connection infrastructure, to offshore wind farm operation and maintenance”.
