Monopile Installation Nears as Offshore Work Starts at Baltic Power

January 21, 2025, by Adnan Memija

Preparatory and trial operations for offshore construction are underway at the Baltic Power offshore wind farm site in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea, with several vessels involved, including Van Oord’s heavy-lift ship Svanen, in advance of the upcoming monopile installation work.

Van Oord’s heavy-lift vessel Svanen is currently situated at the Baltic Power site, some 23 kilometres off the Polish coast, according to the latest AIS data. The ship arrived at the Gdynia Port in November 2024.

Svanen, which underwent a gantry upgrade last year, will be responsible for the installation of the monopiles under a contract signed with Baltic Power, a joint venture between Poland’s Orlen Group and Canadian Northland Power.

The offshore wind farm will consist of 78 monopiles in total – 76 for Vestas’ 15 MW wind turbines and two for offshore substations. Steelwind Nordenham is responsible for the delivery of monopiles, while Belgium-based Smulders will supply the transition pieces.

The monopiles will be up to 100 metres long, with a diameter of approximately 9 metres, and a weight of up to 1,700 tonnes.

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Recently, the developers behind the Polish project launched a scheme to compensate local shipowners for the restrictions on their fishing activities that result from the construction of the 1.2 GW wind farm.

Scheduled to commence operations in late 2026, the Baltic Power offshore wind farm is expected to deliver renewable energy to over 1.5 million Polish households.