Offshore wind farms are to be the main driving force behind the development of green energy in Poland over the next two decades. The draft national energy policy assumes that in 10 years' time the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the country's energy mix should reach 32%, and in 2040 already 40%. Wind and solar power plants are to be mainly responsible for this increase. Between 2021 and 2040, about PLN 470 billion (about EUR 100 billion) will have to be spent on transformation of the Polish energy sector. Only PLN 175 billion (approx. EUR 40 billion) is to be spent on investments in renewable energy sources, of which the largest amount, PLN 106 billion (EUR 23.5 billion), is to be spent on the development of wind power plants. The Polish Wind Energy Association and the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society demand that the offshore law be signed as soon as possible, as everyone is hoping this will boost domestic investments in this area. This Act will determine the power of the first phase of construction of Polish offshore wind farms at 5.9 GW.
Polish ports will be participating in this venture, as centers serving the entire installation process of Polish wind farms on the Baltic Sea. According to Michał Śmigielski, President of the Maritime Agency Gdynia, one of the leaders in logistics service of wind power plant elements, they are key to the development of wind farms, since the logistics of offshore wind power plants usually do not assume deliveries from land. If there is no offshore factory in port, then everything arrives at the port by vessels, where it is stored to leave the sea later on board of installation vessels. It is estimated that Polish ports are currently prepared to handle offshore wind investments by approx. 85-90%.
- However, it should be remembered that we are not talking about readiness in terms of entire ports, but only about individual quays or container terminals in Gdynia or Gdańsk, as they are adjacent to yards capable of storing a very large volume, and their load capacity is 10-20 t per m², which meets the requirements of all turbine manufacturers – explains M. Śmigielski.
Together with the manufacturers of MAG turbines, he carried out an audit of Polish ports in 2019. The possibilities of handling farm elements were analyzed both for Gdańsk, Gdynia, and for Szczecin and Świnoujście. The outcome of the audit was very positive and the representatives of manufacturers from Denmark or France were surprised that Polish ports had such well-prepared transshipment infrastructure. The Port of Gdynia has been focusing on becoming an installation hub for offshore wind farms, and has been very active in terms of possibilities of servicing the supply chain related to the construction and future operation of offshore wind farms on the Baltic Sea. Currently, elements of wind power plants are serviced at the Gdynia container terminals. However, according to M. Śmigielski, they are not particularly interested in trading container handling for wind turbines. They cannot give up their main source of income. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in new storage yards located in the vicinity of the quays, which play a key role in the logistics service of several hundred elements at a time. Therefore, the port of Gdynia is planning to prepare a special terminal for handling elements of wind towers.
- In the public debate, these ports are described as bases for the purposes of our offshore farms only, which is, I believe, an approach that is contrary to market logic - says Jakub Budzyński, Vice President of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society.
- The goal cannot be minimized as far as outlet markets are concerned. We should remember that we share the Baltic Sea with several other countries that also have offshore wind plans - I am thinking of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. They also intend to implement their OWF projects. Then, there are Finland and Sweden. All or almost all of the Baltic States will need a construction base in the next decade, possibly in the next several years. Regardless of which of our ports this base will be located, Poland will certainly be the address, to which investors from all the Baltic countries will refer.
For the time being, this function in the Baltic Sea is successfully fulfilled by the Danish port of Rønne in Bornholm and, to some extent, by Sassnitz-Mukran in Germany. And if a final and binding decision on the location of the installation port, e.g. in Gdynia, is not made quickly, the construction of Polish wind farms may be supported by foreign ports only. Investments related to offshore wind plants will be one of the leading topics of Maritime Economy Forum Gdynia, whose 20th anniversary edition will take place on October 8, 2021.
Article developed with Namiary na Morze i Handel magazine
phot. Namiary na Morze i Handel magazine
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