Three Largest Polish Energy Companies Shake Hands on Offshore Wind

Three biggest Polish energy companies, PGE, Enea and TAURON, have signed a letter of intent on cooperation on future offshore wind projects in Poland.

According to the three companies, they recognise the value of the offshore wind energy sector in developing the economy and increasing the level of energy security in the country. In the letter of intent, they expressed their will to establish strategic cooperation for future investment in offshore wind projects in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea. 

Poland’s Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin commented on the agreement by saying that the construction of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea is a step forward in the transformation of Polish energy sector towards a low-carbon economy and that it brings benefits in stimulating development, increasing innovation, and using the potential of Polish companies. 

“This is particularly important in helping the economy to recover from a pandemic crisis”, Jacek Sasin said.

The minister said that the agreement signed by PGE, Enea and TAURON means that the companies of the State Treasury will now work together to make the best use of the opportunity created by the development of offshore wind energy.

“Among Polish enterprises with the participation of the State Treasury, PGE is a leader in the development of offshore wind energy in Poland and has the most extensive knowledge on the implementation of such projects. Thanks to this agreement, together with TAURON and Enea, we can increase our chances in the process of applying for location permits for offshore wind farms and increase the possibilities of financing the development of investment projects in the field of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea”, said Wojciech Dąbrowski, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.

By 2030, the capacity of PGE’s installed offshore wind capacity will reach 2.5 GW. According to the scenarios in the new strategy of PGE Group, the company will have an installed offshore wind capacity of 6.5 GW in 2040. At that time, according to government assumptions, offshore wind farms in the Polish zone of the Baltic Sea will have a total installed capacity of between 8 GW and 11 GW.

The company is currently in the process of selecting an industry partner for the Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 offshore wind projects with a total capacity of 2.5 GW. The now signed letter of intent will not affect the process and the offshore wind farm projects developed together with the industry partner, for which it will be necessary to obtain location permits.

As part of its energy transformation plan, TAURON assumes increasing the share of renewable energy systems in the generation mix to over 65 per cent by 2030, while reducing CO2 emissions by half. By 2025, TAURON intends to have over 1 GW of installed wind energy capacity onshore 300 MW in photovoltaic farms. Offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea will play an important role in the its transformation after 2025, according to a press release issued jointly by the three companies.

To remid, TAURON also recently signed an agreement with the joint venture between EDP Renováveis and Engie to cooperate on offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea.

Enea Group wants to actively participate in the development of the renewable energy sector, including offshore wind. The implementation of offshore projects in the Baltic Sea will have a significant impact on the implementation of its strategic goal in low-emission and zero-emission energy transformation, according to the press release.