ORLEN Neptun, a subsidiary of the ORLEN Group, has inaugurated Poland’s first offshore wind farm installation terminal in Świnoujście, Pomerania. This facility is touted as the first of its kind in Poland and among the most advanced in Europe, designed to support the country’s growing offshore wind energy sector.
The terminal will play a key role in ORLEN’s Phase 2 offshore wind projects and will also be accessible to other operators working in the Baltic Sea region. The company has already finalized a long-term contract with Ocean Winds, a consortium formed by Spanish and French offshore wind developers. Under the agreement, the terminal will assist in the installation of multiple wind turbines annually.
Equipped to handle the largest installation vessels, including jackup and heavy-lift ships, the terminal can accommodate offshore wind turbines with a capacity of up to 15 megawatts (MW). It facilitates the unloading, stacking, and loading of critical components such as monopile foundations, towers, blades, nacelles, and cabling required for wind farm construction. Additionally, the infrastructure supports the reception of offshore substation topsides weighing up to 24,000 tonnes.
The facility aims to primarily support ORLEN’s own offshore wind initiatives, including the Baltic East project and other future developments. However, it will also be available for commercial use by other operators working on projects in the German, Swedish, or Danish waters.
With the contract signed with Ocean Winds, ORLEN Neptun will lease nearly the entire terminal area to support the construction of the BC-Wind offshore wind farm, located approximately 150 nautical miles (about 228 kilometers) from the Świnoujście port. This marks Ocean Winds’ first project in the Baltic Sea, and the terminal will function as a hub for the delivery, storage, and initial preparation of wind farm foundations before they are shipped to the installation site.
Local contractors with international experience will handle cargo operations and port services at the terminal. Ireneusz Fąfara, CEO of ORLEN, stated, “Świnoujście will be our base for executing future offshore wind projects, with close to 50% participation from Polish capital. We’ve secured long-term contracts with one of the global offshore leaders and agreements to utilize existing infrastructure for turbine component storage.”
Earlier this year, ORLEN also launched Poland’s first operations and maintenance base for offshore wind farms in Łeba, which will assist the Baltic Power offshore wind farm currently under construction in collaboration with Northland Power of Canada. Poland’s inaugural offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea is expected to be completed next year. Over the next decade, the ORLEN Group aims to achieve an installed capacity of 12.8 gigawatts (GW) in renewable energy sources, with approximately 6.4 GW dedicated to offshore wind farms.
