The wind farm will generate clean electricity for 1.5 million households.

The offshore construction of the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, a joint venture between Orlen Group and Northland Power, has begun with the installation of monopile foundations in the Baltic Sea.

The first two of 78 steel-structured monopiles have been installed. The monopiles will support 15MW wind turbines and offshore substations.

With a total capacity of 1.2GW, the Baltic Power wind farm will begin operations in 2026 and generate clean electricity sufficient to power 1.5 million households.

Northland Power CEO and president Christine Healy stated: “As co-developers of Poland’s first offshore wind farm, we are excited to contribute our global experience in offshore wind projects and proud of our strong partnership with ORLEN. This achievement demonstrates our progress together and further solidifies our shared commitment to Poland’s energy future.”

The offshore construction site spans 130km². Its monopiles are 100m long, weigh up to 1,700 tonnes and have a diameter exceeding 9m.

A floating installation crane is used to position these foundations into the seabed at depths of 40m.

The construction fleet comprises 11 specialised vessels: support ships, tugboats and environmental monitoring ships. The Baltic Power offshore co-ordination centre is managing all offshore construction and maritime traffic.

As construction advances, transition pieces will connect the foundations to the turbines, followed by the turbine assembly, offshore substations, inter-array cables and export cables. The installation phase is expected to continue until 2026.

The Baltic Power wind farm will become Poland’s first offshore wind farm, producing around 4,000 gigawatt hours of zero emission electricity annually. This will lead to a CO? emissions reduction of 2.8 million tonnes (mt) per year, compared to traditional power generation.

ORLEN SA CEO and president of the management board Ireneusz F?fara stated: By 2026, energy from the Baltic Sea will be flowing to consumers for the first time. This clean, stable and secure power will drive Poland’s economy forward. It also creates opportunities for Polish businesses to grow alongside our project. This is the energy of tomorrow – starting today.”

The wind farm is a critical component of the ORLEN Group’s strategy, aiming to deploy 4GW of installed capacity in the Baltic Sea through industry partnerships.

The ORLEN Group’s strategy includes the development of three additional offshore wind farms, with licences already secured.

Ireneusz added: “Already in 2026, the offshore wind farm will be able to cover about 3% of Poland’s current energy demand, which corresponds to the needs of more than 1.5 million households. This is a real and very tangible contribution to the country’s energy transition.”

Offshore wind, combined with energy storage, onshore renewables, gas-fired plants and small modular reactors, will play a pivotal role in Poland’s energy transition.

Components such as turbine nacelles, subsea cables and offshore substation steel structures are being produced locally. Polish firms are also contributing to geological surveys, engineering design and logistics.