The number of Polish companies that want to build offshore wind farms in the Baltic is growing
The Supplier's Day is another initiative of investors aimed at Polish companies that want to participate in the construction of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea. It is also another event entirely devoted to cooperation with domestic companies on a specific part of the wind farm - this time the power infrastructure.
Its main contractor for the Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III projects jointly implemented by Equinor and Polenergia is Hitachi Energy, which will be responsible for designing the offshore and onshore power infrastructure for both wind farms, performing system analyses, as well as providing equipment for the offshore substations and constructing the onshore substations on a turnkey basis.
In the new sector of the economy there is room not only for companies from Pomerania, but also from inland Poland, so this time the Supplier's Day was held in Łódź, where Hitachi has its manufacturing plant. The event was attended by almost 200 companies from all over Poland, whose products and services can be used, among others, in the design and execution of the electrical installation of the 1.44 GW Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III offshore wind farms.
- This type of meeting creates an ideal space for Polish suppliers to establish business relationships, who want to join our projects in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea and become part of the global supply chain for offshore wind. That's why we're glad that another Supplier's Day attracted even more Polish companies that see an opportunity to strengthen competencies and increase revenues in the promising offshore wind sector - says Bjørn Ivar Bergemo, Director of Bałtyk II and III Projects, representing Equinor at the meeting in Łódż.
The unique formula of the meeting made it possible to establish contact and direct dialogue between an established international company like Hitachi Energy and domestic subcontractors. At the meeting, Polish entrepreneurs learned, among other things, about the investment schedule, the scope of innovation and competence sought, standards and requirements, how to apply, and the conditions to be met in order to get into the pool of potential suppliers and participate in the process of offshore wind energy development.
- Our goal is to create conditions that will make it easier for Polish companies to enter the offshore market. Events such as the Supplier's Day serve this very purpose. We connect our main suppliers with partners on the Polish side, in the Polish industry. Entrepreneurs meet and discuss how to participate in our projects at the stage of construction, as well as subsequent operation and service. We are pleased to see so much interest from domestic companies, for whom our projects are an opportunity for new orders and contracts and dynamic development - emphasizes Marta Porzuczek, Stakeholder Manager at Projects Baltic and Director of Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development at Polenergia Group.
At special thematic sessions with Hitachi Energy experts, entrepreneurs could talk individually about specific purchasing packages and learn about areas of possible cooperation. Among them were construction, electrical and assembly works, MV and LV cables, auxiliary transformers, high-voltage apparatus, MV, LV switchgear and cable cabinets, AC/DC switchgear, gas and transformer extinguishing systems, monitoring (CCTV) with access control, high-power container generators, MV/nn container stations or steel structures for apparatus.
- We are looking for Polish suppliers of highly specialized components and services. The meeting was an opportunity to establish new beneficial partnerships. We are fully open to cooperation with Polish companies. Many of them are successfully able to join our supply chain. They have a lot of potential, experience and knowledge of the market, so we think they will take part in offshore wind energy investments in large numbers as future suppliers and service contractors - says Hubert Krukowski, vice president of Hitachi Energy in Poland.
The Supplier's Day - organized by Equinor and Polenergia in the formula of meetings between a major supplier and Polish subcontractors - is already another such event. The previous meeting - organized in cooperation with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, which is the preferred supplier of turbine generators for the Baltic II and III projects - attracted more than 100 domestic companies to Gdansk.
The Supplier Days are held within the framework of Equinor and Polenergia's proprietary 5 Flagship Programs. One of them - the Contractual Commitments Package - is aimed at directly involving major suppliers (Tier 1) from the supply chain in activities for the development of the Polish offshore energy industry and its competitiveness. Another program - the Promotion and Information Center - is tasked with providing access to project information necessary to prepare for participation in the supply chain, conducting dialogue with suppliers, promoting Polish companies and initiating activities to increase the participation of local suppliers and sub-suppliers in the offshore wind supply chain.
Equinor and Polenergia are developing three offshore wind farm projects in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea - Bałtyk I, Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III, with a total capacity of around 3 GW. The most advanced projects, Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III, which will be located at Łeba at distances of 37 and 22 from the shore, will produce electricity as early as 2027. The third wind farm, Bałtyk I, with a capacity of 1.56 GW, to be built in the second phase of the Polish offshore wind development, will be ready to participate in the support auction in 2025. Its location is planned to be about 81 km from the coastline, also at the height of Łeba. Bałtyk II and III will be connected to the PSE Słupsk Wierzbięcino substation, while Bałtyk I will be connected to the substation in neighboring Krzemienica. The land corridor of the connection infrastructure, about 14 km long, will run through the municipalities of Ustka and Słupsk.