Doors now Open for Offshore Wind Energy in Poland

The Polish government and Polish wind energy industry signed a “Letter of Intent on cooperation for the development of offshore wind energy in Poland”.

On July 1, 2020 representatives of the Polish government and Polish wind energy industry signed a “Letter of Intent on cooperation for the development of offshore wind power in Poland”. The letter lays out the foundation for the development of offshore wind energy projects in the European nation.

The letter defines the next steps in the collaboration to jointly develop a strong wind industry in Poland. It was signed by Poland’s Minister of Climate Michał Kurtyka, Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation Marek Gróbarczyk, Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin as well as representatives of investors and industry.

“Today marks the birth of offshore wind in Poland. Offshore wind has shown its reliability and efficiency elsewhere in Europe. With this joint ‘Letter of Intent’ Polish government and industry send a strong sign to investors and markets – that they want lots of offshore wind too and are putting in place a regulatory framework to support it”, said Giles Dickson, CEO WindEurope.

In its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) the country has identified offshore wind as one of the key technologies to meet its goals for renewable energy for 2030. It is also a strategic project in the draft of Poland’s Energy Policy until 2040. It will help to diversify the Polish national power generation structure that today heavily depends on coal.

Its expansion targets for offshore wind are ambitious. The country doesn’t yet have any offshore wind farms, but by 2030 it is aiming to have an installed capacity of 3.8 GW through offshore wind projects – with 10 GW of new capacity awarded CfDs by then. And by 2050 the country wants a massive 28 GW, which would make it the largest operator of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea.

In the “Letter of Intent”, the signatories agree to take joint action on the development of the offshore wind market in Poland. The letter acknowledges the role of offshore wind in meeting the European Union’s Green Deal objectives while increasing the security of energy supply and reducing Poland’s CO2 emissions. The signatories commit to meet regularly to exchange on progress and experience around the development of offshore wind. The meetings will be coordinated by the Minister of Climate.

“The potential for offshore wind in the Baltic is immense, and the Polish wind industry is ready to get started. Wind will contribute to a more modern, independent, and healthy Poland. It will strengthen cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. And it will create future-proof Polish jobs in the manufacturing, service, maritime and port industries”, said Dickson.

The letter is an important step towards Poland’s first “Offshore Wind Act” which is being prepared by the Government and is expected to enter into force in 2020.