Orlen Neptun, responsible for the development of offshore wind energy at the Orlen Group, has launched an offshore wind farm installation terminal in Świnoujście – the first facility of its kind in Poland.
The facility will serve as a key base for the group’s phase two offshore wind projects – Baltic East – as well as future developments. It will also be available to external operators executing projects in German, Swedish or Danish waters.
Already, Orlen Neptun has signed a long-term deal with offshore wind developer Ocean Winds – a Spanish-French consortium – to lease a large portion of the terminal area to support the construction of the BC-Wind offshore wind farm, located approximately 150 nautical miles (about 228 km) from the port in Świnoujście. The BC-Wind project is Ocean Winds’ first development in the Baltic Sea.
“The installation terminal in Świnoujście is yet another pioneering offshore wind investment we’re delivering in Poland,” said Ireneusz Fąfara, ceo and president of the management board of Orlen. “We’re not just building infrastructure – we’re laying the foundations for an entirely new, future-ready sector of the economy.
“Świnoujście will be our base for executing future offshore wind projects, in which Polish capital will play a major role with close to 50 percent participation. We’ve already signed a long-term contract with one of the global offshore leaders, Ocean Winds, and secured agreements that will allow us to utilise existing infrastructure for storing turbine components. Our investment represents a major development opportunity for the entire region and for Polish businesses serving the offshore wind sector.”
The Świnoujście terminal has been designed to accommodate the largest vessels – including jack-up and heavy lift ships – used for installing offshore wind turbines with a capacity of around 15 MW. The terminal supports the unloading, stacking and ship loading of components used in the construction of wind farms, including monopile foundations, towers, blades, nacelles and farm cabling elements. Additionally, the terminal infrastructure enables the reception of offshore substation topsides weighing up to 24,000 tonnes.
The terminal’s location in Świnoujście provides access via rail, ferry, air and road. Furthermore, the inland location ensures favourable weather conditions for year-round operations.
The launch of the installation terminal in Świnoujście is aligned with the ORLEN2035 strategy targeting fast expansion of the renewable energy segment. Over the next decade, the Orlen Group aims to achieve 12.8 GW of installed capacity in renewable energy sources, including approximately 6.4 GW in offshore wind farms.
Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority (ZMPSiŚ) discussed the development of the wind energy terminal back in 2023. It said that its development would require the construction of two new quays and the deepening of the fairway from Mieleńska to the terminal.
