EDF Renewables Forms Polish Offshore Wind Tie-Up

EDF Renewables has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ferrovial’s Polish subsidiary Budimex for realising investments in wind farm development offshore Poland.

The two companies will focus on the second phase of offshore development in the country on a 50/50 basis.

As part of the second phase of offshore development, eleven new sites have been made available for the construction of offshore wind farms in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea with an estimated capacity of 11 GW.

According to Budimex, the aim of the cooperation between Budimex and EDF Renewables is to leverage their respective strengths and obtain location permits under the applications submitted by EDF Renewables.

Budimex said it wants to take an active part in Poland’s energy transition, with plans to bring to the joint venture its experience gained during the implementation of various investments in the country and the development of renewable energy assets worldwide.

The Polish part of the Baltic Sea could host as much as 28 GW of offshore wind by 2050, according to WindEurope.

Several major developers have submitted one or more applications for offshore location licenses in the Polish Baltic Sea.

A few months ago, Shell’s subsidiary Amber Baltic Wind Ltd. submitted proposals for new offshore wind locations.

In May, the German energy company RWE submitted bids for all of the eleven areas the Polish government had offered in the latest tendering round.

Polish energy companies PKN Orlen and PGE separately submitted multiple applications back in February, and PGE has also applied, together with Ørsted, for an area adjacent to their Baltica offshore wind project.

SSE Renewables is bidding for a site together with Acciona Energia, and TotalEnergies has teamed up with KGHM, a Polish state-owned mining corporation, to jointly participate in the tender.

The auction has also attracted bids from the floating wind specialist, Simply Blue Group, as well as Sweden’s Eolus Vind.