Both offshore substations, the first ever in Polish waters of the Baltic Sea, have been installed at the 1.2 GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm, developed by a joint venture between ORLEN Group and Northland Power.
OSS West and OSS East are located approximately 20 kilometres from the shore of Choczewo. They gather energy generated by Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines connected by inter-array cables. Then, the voltage increases to 230 kV and is transported to an onshore substation in Choczewo via four offshore export cables and onshore cables.
Each substation is equipped with two power transformers, gas-insulated switchboards on operational levels of 230 kV and 66 kV, a diesel generator, cranes, auxiliary switchboards, control and supervision systems, and a number of auxiliary devices enabling safe operation of unmanned offshore substations.
The main contractor for the offshore substations was a consortium of CS Wind Offshore and Semco Maritime, along with several Polish companies.
The foundations were built by Grupa Przemysłowa Baltic in shipyards located in Gdynia and Gdańsk, Poland. Each structure, weighing 1,300 tonnes, was transported to Denmark , where, after being fully equipped, it reached a weight of 2,500 tonnes.
Both substations were also equipped with specialised cranes manufactured by the Polish company Protea.
Other components of the offshore wind farm that are also manufactured in Poland are nacelles for the wind turbines, foundation components, and onshore cables.
According to estimates, the local content ratio in the Baltic Power project is expected to reach at least 21 per cent throughout the entire life cycle of the wind farm.
After the installation of the offshore substations, the campaign for offshore cables is set to start soon, said Baltic Power.
According to the developer, over 20 vessels are involved in the offshore campaign, as they perform simultaneous installation, maintenance, and pre-commissioning work. The offshore construction work is expected to be completed in 2026. After that, a complex process of tests, certification, and permitting is set to begin.
The 1.2 GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm will feature 76 Vestas 15 MW turbines installed approximately 23 kilometres from the shore.
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