The ORLEN Group and Northland Power have commenced the construction of an onshore substation for the 1.2 GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm in Poland.
Situated in the Choczewo municipality, the substation, being an onshore part of the Baltic Power project, will act as a hub for cable lines transmitting electricity from offshore substations located nearly 30 kilometres away.
Almost the whole route of the cable’s onshore section of approximately seven kilometres will be routed underground, according to the ORLEN Group. This also applies to the beach – with the use of so-called directional drilling, the landfall will be routed at a depth of about ten kilometres underground.
The onshore cable route has been designed to make the project minimally interfere with the natural environment and bypass naturally valuable areas, said the ORLEN Group.
“Baltic Power is an example of a project placing a special emphasis on the aspects of environmental protection, sustainable development and respect for local communities, i.e. the aspects that are so important to both Northland Power and our partner”, said Mike Crawley , President of the Management Board of Northland Power.
“We are all the more glad that the Baltic Power project is reaching another, such important milestone. Our farm, the construction of which will be commenced in 2024, will secure the first supplies of green energy for Poland in just a few years, as planned.”
A consortium of GE and Enprom is responsible for the design, construction, and delivery of the necessary components for the onshore substation. GE also designed the electrical system and provided high-voltage power components. Enprom, a Polish company, prepared the design and is responsible for the construction of the substation.
In September 2022, the Baltic Power joint venture announced preferred suppliers of all key onshore and offshore components of the farm: foundations, wind turbines, substations, and cables.
The Baltic Power offshore wind farm will consist of 76 Vestas 236-15.0 MW wind turbines that will be installed by Vestas’ compatriot Cadeler.
In 2023, along with securing all environmental decisions and building permits, Baltic Power commences its first onshore construction works.
According to the schedule, the first offshore installation works will start in 2024 with the project planned to reach commercial operations in 2026.
In 2022, ORLEN Group made a strategic decision to build Poland’s first installation terminal for offshore wind farms. The project is being implemented in the port of Świnoujście and is scheduled to be completed in 2024/2025.
Its quayside and storage yards will allow to transport and install wind turbines of 15 MW capacity and above.
“As the first company in Poland, we commence constructing infrastructure allowing to deliver electricity produced offshore to the grid. We have also started work in the area of the installation terminal for offshore wind farms in Świnoujście”, said Daniel Obajtek , President of the Management Board of PKN Orlen.