ORLEN Neptun signed its first long-term contract with the Spanish-French consortium Ocean Winds, one of the largest offshore energy developers in the world. The terminal in Świnoujście will ultimately enable the installation of several dozen wind turbines per year, becoming the most important offshore wind installation center in the Baltic Sea region.
”The installation terminal in Świnoujście is our next pioneering offshore wind investment in Poland. We are building a new, promising branch of the economy. Offshore wind energy will not only power households, transport and businesses with clean and stable energy, but will also enable the development of new areas of industry. It is from the base in Świnoujście that we will implement further offshore projects, in which the share of Polish capital will amount to almost half. We have already signed a contract with one of the world leaders, Ocean Winds, and agreements that will allow us to use the existing infrastructure for storing wind turbine components. Our investment is a great development opportunity for the entire region and Polish companies servicing offshore wind energy”, says Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
The terminal in Świnoujście will ultimately serve about several dozen employees. It was designed to accept the largest ships – jack-up and heavy-lift, intended for the implementation of offshore wind farm projects with turbines of around 15 MW. The terminal allows for unloading, loading and storage of elements used in the construction of wind farms, including monopile foundations, towers, blades, nacelles, or elements used for cabling the farms. Additionally, the terminal infrastructure allows for the acceptance of superstructures of offshore transformer stations weighing up to 24 thousand tons.
The location of the installation port in Świnoujście provides convenient access by rail, ferry, air and road. In addition, the inland location guarantees optimal weather conditions during the operation of the investment. The terminal in Świnoujście will primarily be used for the installation of offshore wind farm components of the ORLEN Group - Baltic East and subsequent investments. The facility will also be available to other operators implementing investments in German, Swedish or Danish waters.
”The high parameters of our terminal make it attractive to European offshore wind farm operators. In the coming years, it will be one of the few installation ports in the region that will handle projects using wind turbines with a capacity of approx. 15 MW. There is already a lot of interest in our investment - by opening the terminal, we are simultaneously signing the first contract for its long-term lease with one of the largest offshore energy developers in the world”, says Janusz Bil, President of the Management Board of ORLEN Neptun.
The agreement concluded by ORLEN Neptun with the Spanish-French consortium Ocean Winds assumes the lease of almost the entire area of the terminal. It will be used in the implementation of the BC-Wind offshore wind farm project, located about 150 nautical miles, or about 228 kilometers, from the port in Świnoujście.
The terminal will be used for deliveries, storage and preliminary preparation of foundations, which will then be transported to the installation site. In Świnoujście, components will also be loaded onto specialist installation units. Reloading and port services will be provided by local companies with international experience.
