Irish floating wind developer Simply Blue Group has applied to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure for the offshore location license 60.E.4, currently the deepest water site in Poland’s Maritime Spatial Plan.
In a social media post, Simply Blue Group said that the company recognise ”the enormous potential and demand” for floating offshore wind in the Baltic Region.
”Floating offshore wind is a natural step for offshore wind development which is rolling out across the globe,” Simply Blue Group said.
‘ ‘Existing Polish infrastructure and skilled workers provide a promising base for new industry growth, and Simply Blue Group is committed to working with the local stakeholders and authorities to establish the framework for floating offshore wind and to maximise the benefits for local communities.”
Simply Blue Group is not the only developer to bid on the 60.E.4 site.
Earlier this week, Scotland’s SSE Renewables submitted its application for the offshore location license for the site located some 85 kilometres off Poland’s coast.
The water depth at the 60.E.4 zone is up to 58 metres.
SSE Renewables will develop a wind farm at the site in collaboration with Acciona Energía if the application is successful. The company did not specify what kind of foundation it would use on the project.
The Polish government has offered eleven new areas in total for the development of offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 10 GW, as well as energy islands .
The offered areas have so far attracted bids from both domestic and international developers such as RWE, PKN Orlen, PGE, Ørsted and PGE, and TotalEnergies and KGHM.
In February 2021, Poland signed into law the Offshore Act which regulates the development of offshore wind farms in the Polish Baltic Sea.
The legislation allows for 10.9 GW of offshore wind capacity to be either operational or under development by 2027.