Equinor and Polenergia have selected Hitachi Energy to deliver electrical systems infrastructure for the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III offshore wind projects in Poland.
Under the awarded contract, Hitachi Energy will be responsible for the electrical system design for the whole offshore wind farm, from the wind turbines to the point of connection to the grid at the Słupsk-Wierzbięcino substation, Poland.
The contract covers system study analysis and the integration of all relevant equipment of interfacing contractors so that the overall wind farms are designed with a safe, cost-optimal, and stable transmission system that is compliant with the Polish Grid Code requirements, Equinor said.
“We are ordering the ‘heart’ of the system for transmission and transformation of energy from offshore wind farms. This is one of the most important contracts of our Bałtyk projects”, said Michał Michalski , president of the Management Board of Polenergia.
In addition, Hitachi Energy is also responsible for the delivery of the overall power control system, overall telecom network, and all high voltage equipment at the offshore substation and the onshore substation, as well as turnkey delivery of the whole onshore substation.
The contract also covers interface work at the grid connection in Slupsk.
With a combined capacity of 1,440 MW, MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III are two of the largest and most advanced offshore wind farms being developed in Poland, Equinor said.
The projects, which will feature Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines, were awarded Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in May 2021 by Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office (ERO).
Located in the Baltic Sea approximately 27 km and 40 km from the port of Łeba, the wind farms are a substantial part of the first phase of Polish offshore wind industry development scheme with a total capacity of 5,900 MW.
The final investment decision for both projects is subject to obtaining the necessary permits and is planned for 2024 with the first power delivered to the grid in 2027.