12.03.2024

Poland’s first offshore wind farm service company is established

Energa Wytwarzanie, an ORLEN Group company, and Northland Power, have established Baltic Offshore Service Solution, the first consortium in Poland offering a comprehensive suite of offshore wind farm management services.

The new company will specialise in a range of services tailored to the offshore wind energy sector, encompassing technical, operational, commercial, and contractual aspects. Additionally, the company will oversee the operation of the 24-hour Wind Farm Management Centre planned to be established by the ORLEN Group. Its responsibilities will include the monitoring, coordination, and control of offshore assets.

"Offshore wind presents an opportunity for profound transformations in our power system and the development of new sectors in the economy. We are actively progressing with the Baltic Power project and plan to invest in projects in an additional five licences that are developed by ORLEN Neptun. The potential for offshore power generation across the Baltic Sea is estimated to exceed 90 GW, indicating a substantial growth trajectory for investments in this sector. At the ORLEN Group, we are poised to capitalise on the emerging business opportunities in the planning and operation of new wind farms. To this end, we will leverage our existing expertise from onshore projects, also drawing on the experience of our partner, a global leader in the offshore wind industry," said Jarosław Dybowski, Executive Director for Energy at ORLEN.

The newly established company will build on the experience of Energa Wytwarzanie, which boasts a 15-year track record of maintaining onshore renewable energy assets and a portfolio of six wind farms with a combined capacity of approximately 244 MW. The entity is responsible for the maintenance of individual wind farm components, ensuring the technical efficiency and availability of power machinery and equipment, and conducting technical inspections.

Northland is as an experienced leader in the offshore wind energy sector globally. With ownership or interests in generation sources with an installed capacity of 3.4 GW (or 2.9 GW net), Northland is a key player in managing both onshore renewable energy sources and offshore wind farms across North America and Europe, boasting an annual energy output exceeding 10,000 GWh. The ORLEN Group and Northland are jointly implementing the Baltic Power offshore wind farm project, with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW, which is set to commence clean energy production in 2026.

Offshore wind energy stands as a pivotal element of the ORLEN2030 strategy, with the ORLEN Group targeting 9 GW of installed renewable capacity, including offshore wind, by the end of the decade. The Baltic Sea offers excellent conditions for wind energy development, characterised by favourable wind patterns, low salinity, and relatively shallow waters.

Energa Wytwarzanie is a subsidiary of Energia (ORLEN Group), which operates in the area of electricity generation from RES and provides system services. Among other things, the company manages the country's largest run-of-river hydroelectric power plant in Włocławek and 44 small hydroelectric power plants located mainly in northern Poland.