German developer RWE Renewables has leapt into the highly promising Polish offshore wind market, acquiring a pipeline of development totaling some 1.5GW.
The four projects, all located around the Slupsk Bank area of Poland’s swathe of the Baltic Sea, could enter construction as early as 2023.
RWE bought the FEW Baltic II, previously slated at 350MW, and three early-stage projects from Baltic Trade & Invest. The German group said it now plans to accelerate development of all four.
“As one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, RWE sees great potential for offshore wind parks on the central Polish Baltic Sea,” said RWE Renewables CEO Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath. “Our strategy is to develop the projects, build them and drive the growth of offshore wind energy in Poland with our operations forward.”
Sven Utermöhlen, RWE Renewables’ COO for Europe, Offshore & New Markets, added: “Poland is a very attractive emerging market for offshore wind, and one with the best untapped potential in Europe. RWE is keen to enter it early and leverage our global offshore capabilities and strong local presence, in order to help building a strong offshore wind sector in Poland.”
The move into Polish offshore wind comes on the heels of an asset exchange with E.ON, through which RWE took on more than 9GW of installed capacity and 2.6GW under construction.
Global offshore wind pacesetter Orsted said this week it is in talks with Polish state utility PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna over a potential 50% stake in two offshore wind farm projects in the Baltic Sea, with a total capacity of up to 2.5GW.
The newly-re-elected government in Warsaw is looking at presenting a proposal for a dedicated offshore wind act in a public consultation in November, which will include a support scheme for installations and the offshore grid, Polish wind power association PWEA told Recharge.
Note: Update adds details of project vendor
