The offshore wind farms being built by Equinor and Polenergia have reached the halfway point in foundation installation. As part of this investment in the Baltic Sea, more than 50 monopiles and transition pieces have already been installed. Installation of the foundations for offshore substations is also set to begin soon.
Together, Baltyk 2 and Baltyk 3 will comprise 100 state-of-the-art wind turbines, each with a capacity of 14.4 MW. Installation of their foundations began in May – monopiles driven into the seabed and connected to transition pieces with characteristic yellow tops visible above the water surface. Next year, these structures will support the towers of the 260-metre-high wind turbines.
'The halfway point in the foundation installation is an important and very tangible milestone in the delivery of the Baltyk 2 and 3 projects. It demonstrates that such a complex engineering and logistics operation, involving the construction of one of Poland's largest offshore wind farms, is progressing efficiently and according to plan. Every foundation installed brings us closer to the moment when electricity generated by the wind farms, with a combined capacity of up to 1.44 GW, will begin supplying the national grid and strengthening Poland's energy security,' said Adam Purwin CEO of Polenergia.
'Reaching the halfway point in foundation installation demonstrates both the scale and the pace of offshore construction activities on the Baltyk 2 and 3 projects. This is one of the most demanding stages of an offshore wind farm development, making offshore expertise, operational safety and close coordination between offshore and onshore teams essential. Thanks to the commitment of our teams and strong cooperation with our partners, we are steadily preparing the next phases of the investment,' said Michal Jerzy Kolodziejczyk, CEO of Equinor Polska.
Foundation installation began at Baltyk 2, located 37 kms offshore, where monopiles and transition pieces were installed first. At the same time, work continued on Baltyk 3, situated 22 kms from the coastline, including rock placement to protect subsea infrastructure. Foundation installation activities are now also moving to this site.
Later this summer, installation of the jackets – supporting structures for the offshore substations is scheduled to begin. These substations will collect electricity generated by the turbines, step up the voltage from 66 kV to 220 kV, and transmit the power to shore.
The foundation installation campaign for Baltyk 2 and Baltyk 3 is being carried out by Thialf, one of the world’s largest installation vessels, measuring more than 200 metres in length and 88 metres in width, supported by more than a dozen additional vessels, including component supply ships.
The Baltyk 2 and Baltyk 3 offshore wind farms are being jointly developed by Norway’s Equinor and Polenergia, Poland’s largest private energy group. The projects are scheduled to begin generating electricity in 2027, with full commercial operation planned for 2028. Once operational, Baltyk 2 and Baltyk 3 will generate enough electricity to meet the annual demand of approximately two million households in Poland.
Source: Polenergia
