Ocean Winds at the PWEA conference

Electricity from offshore wind farms could soon become a significant part of Poland’s energy mix. “The company Ocean Winds believes in the potential of the Baltic Sea,” – argues Kacper Kostrzewa, director of the BC-Wind project, which aims to generate energy from wind in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea, just after the North Sea, offers the best conditions in Europe for the development of offshore wind energy. It is a relatively shallow body of water, with low salinity, low waves and stable winds. One of the leaders in the offshore wind segment, Madrid-based Ocean Winds (OW), is well aware of this.

– Based on the belief that offshore wind energy is an essential part of the global energy transition, Ocean Winds develops, finances, builds and operates offshore wind projects around the world, says Kacper Kostrzewa, project director of BC-Wind, who attended the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA) conference.

He added that the main markets on which the company’s activities are focused are the United States, selected Asian countries and, above all, Europe.

Currently, more than 20 GW of offshore wind power capacity is installed in European waters, of which approximately 2 GW is in the Baltic Sea. Analysts from Ocean Winds predict that 9 GW could easily be installed in the Baltic Sea by 2030.

As Director Kostrzewa argues, “one of the largest offshore energy developers in the world – Ocean Winds – believes in the potential of the Baltic Sea” and is dynamically developing the first offshore wind farm project in our region called BC-Wind with a capacity of up to 399 MW. It will be located about 23 kilometres north of the coast, at the height of the Krokowa and Choczewo municipalities in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

– The BC-Wind investment is Ocean Winds’ first project in Poland, which has been under construction since 2012. The project is at a very advanced stage of development. The company is currently conducting geotechnical studies to further understand the specifics of the seabed. We plan to enter the operational phase of the farm by 2027,” announces Director Kostrzewa.

In March 2021, the agreement to connect the BC-Wind project to the grid was signed. In June last year, the project was granted a Contract for Difference (CfD) by the Energy Regulatory Office and an environmental decision for the offshore part (2022), making it one of the first offshore investments to be completed in Poland.

The company has high hopes for the Baltic Sea and intends to invest further in wind farms.

– We look at the Polish market with great optimism. We hear more and more about the so-called phase III of wind projects. We hope that legislation and the organisation of processes will allow us to participate in this phase of the sector’s development,’ says Kacper Kostrzewa, BC-Wind’s project director.

Source: PortalMorski.pl