Siemens Gamesa Selected for Baltyk II and Bałtyk III Projects in Poland
Equinor and partner Polenergia have selected Siemens Gamesa as the preferred supplier of wind turbine generators for the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III projects, two of the largest and most advanced offshore wind farms being developed in Poland, with a total installed capacity of 1440 MW.
The signing of the preferred supplier agreement is a key milestone for the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III projects. It is an important step towards delivering on the projects’ goal of providing offshore wind energy as a significant part of the Polish energy transformation.
“Selecting the preferred turbine supplier, we reach another milestone, moving our projects forward and bringing the best technologies into the Polish market and its offshore wind industry development. Our goal is to execute these projects in a way that brings this competitive source of clean and renewable energy to Poland, based on leading solutions. We believe this cooperation with Siemens Gamesa will accelerate further the progress of our projects that can bring several opportunities for the Polish market and Polish companies to be included in the local supply chain,” says Michał Kołodziejczyk, country manager of Equinor in Poland.
Under the announced deal Siemens Gamesa will deliver its flagship model SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbine to cover the maximum combined capacity of both projects. The turbine has 14 MW nominal power and can reach up to 15 MW capacity with Power Boost.
This is Siemens Gamesa’s largest direct drive offshore wind turbine and it will have been running commercially for a couple of years when installed on Equinor and Polenergia’s projects. The exact number of machines remains to be determined at a later phase of the development upon completing the final turbine supply agreement and service and warranty agreements.
“We are very pleased to select the turbine supplier for two of Poland’s first offshore wind power projects. The delivery of wind turbine generators is the largest contract for the projects, and we have secured an experienced supplier with a proven track record of deliveries to Equinor. We have selected a wind turbine that is the best solution for the overall business case, and we look forward to further maturing the projects in collaboration with Siemens Gamesa,” says Mette H. Ottøy, Equinor’s chief procurement officer.
With the large modern wind turbines selected for the Equinor and Polenergia projects, one rotation of the rotor at full load will supply enough electricity for one average household in Poland for 4 days. When one turbine is running at full load, it will only take 10 minutes to produce the electricity needed to power one average Polish household for one year.
“We effectively secure the supply of key products and services required to implement Baltic investments. We develop our projects on the basis of the best practices known from other European countries and draw on the experience of other offshore energy investments. This allows for a smooth process of obtaining the necessary permits and significantly increases the degree of advancement of these projects. We believe that our offshore wind farms will provide clean, green energy for millions of Polish households by 2027,” claims Michał Michalski, Ph.D., president of the Management Board of Polenergia.
The combined capacity of both projects adds up to 1440 MW which is a substantial part of the first phase of Polish offshore wind industry development scheme with a total capacity of 5900 MW. MFW Bałtyk II and III were awarded Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in May 2021 by Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office (ERO). The projects are located in the Baltic Sea, approximately 27 and 40 kilometres from the port of Łeba where Equinor has acquired a plot for its future operations and maintenance (O&M) base port.
The final investment decision for both projects is subject to obtaining the necessary permits and is planned for 2024 with the first power delivered to the grid in 2027.
Łeba to become location for operations and maintenance base for Polish Baltic Sea offshore wind projects
The planned O&M base would serve as the logistics hub for the Bałtyk projects, with an office, storage, and transportation facilities. The proximity of Łeba to the Bałtyk offshore wind farm areas will contribute to optimizing safety and operation costs.
An investment located in Łeba will bring opportunities for the city as well as the wider region in terms of local supply chain and employment. The jobs required to operate an offshore wind farm include maintenance technician roles, that will predominately be based offshore, as well as office-based teams to support the operations from land.
The Bałtyk projects of Equinor and Polenergia are among the largest offshore wind farms under development in Poland. Bałtyk III and Bałtyk II could generate enough renewable offshore wind energy to power two million Polish homes. Construction of the wind farms infrastructure could begin as soon as 2024.
