Offshore wind farms in the Baltic delayed by half a year

Deputy Minister of State Assets, Jacek Bartmiński said that the first phase of construction of offshore wind farms is delayed by about six months. In his opinion, the first Polish offshore installations will launch in 2026.

The Polish Press Agency (PAP) reports that Jacek Bartmiński, Deputy Minister of State Assets, has revealed the first phase of wind farms construction has been delayed by about half a year. During the European Economic Congress, where these words were spoken, he also declared that the Ministry’s intention is to speed up offshore procedures.

According to the Deputy Minister, the first offshore wind farms should start operating in 2026. The investment will be partly financed by the National Recovery Plan.

“I asked the Department of International Cooperation to hold a meeting with all the beneficiaries of the first phase in order to speed up the procedures, to speed up the resolution of potential problems in cooperation with the beneficiary, State Assets Ministry and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK, a Polish development bank – ed.). ( … ) We are finalizing the agreement with BGK. ( … ) For us, the priority is not managing money, but spending it so that the final beneficiaries and subcontractors and the entire Polish economy benefit from it,” the Deputy Minister said as quoted by PAP.

The Polish Wind Energy Association says the current rules on offshore investment should be simplified. In the opinion of the Association, it would make sense for the government to appoint a plenipotentiary in the rank of a minister in order to consolidate the necessary competences.

Alicja Chilinśka-Zawadzka, head of EDF Renewables, has commented on the Deputy Minister’s announcement. She pointed out that the potential bottleneck of the Polish offshore was personnel.

“Every market will need workers. All investors will build these competencies. We are already training miners in Silesia to work on onshore wind turbines. The best from the onshore are moving to the offshore,” she said.

Polish Press Agency / Marcin Karwowski