GDG supports Poland’s offshore wind industry as it is poised for rapid growth

In February 2021, the Polish Council of Ministers launched PEP2040, Poland’s energy policy which detailed the Government’s long-term strategy for the energy sector. It highlighted offshore wind as one of the strategic projects for the Polish energy sector, with a target of 5.9GW by 2030, increasing to 11GW by 2040. However, these plans are predicted to become even more ambitious with the highly anticipated update, expected around mid-2023.

To date, there are nine existing offshore wind locations in Poland with 11 additional Phase 2 locations auctioned over 2022 and 2023. However, the Polish Wind Energy Association has now identified a further 20 potential locations for offshore wind with a total development area exceeding 2000 km². Poland’s commitment to expanding offshore wind is evident and it will be exciting to see how their plans evolve.

With its long coastline along the Baltic Sea, Poland is well-positioned to tap into the potential of offshore wind. However, ground conditions in the Baltic Sea can be challenging, due to heterogeneous glacial till, shallow bedrock, seabed mobility, and boulders. At GDG, we support the Polish offshore wind industry by combining our global experience with the local knowledge of our team based in Poland. We have worked on offshore wind projects all over the world, many with difficult geological conditions, multiple geohazards as well as anthropological constraints, our Polish team enhances this experience with valuable local market knowledge to offer the best engineering solutions for our clients. We have been actively working on offshore wind projects in Poland since 2018, supporting Baltica 2, 3 and more recently Baltica 1. We also supported clients with early-stage technical assessments for 9 of the 11 Phase 2 locations.