Poland’s 1,200-megawatt (MW) Baltic Power offshore wind farm has reached a significant milestone with the opening of a new operations and maintenance (O&M) base in Łeba. The country’s first O&M facility dedicated to offshore wind energy will support the construction and future operations of the Baltic Power project, which is being developed by Polish company Orlen in partnership with Canada’s Northland Power.
The Baltic Power wind farm, located in the Baltic Sea, is scheduled to be completed by 2026, marking Poland’s entry into offshore wind energy.
“As the Orlen Group, we are both pioneers and leaders in the development of offshore wind energy in Poland,” said Irene Fąfara, president of the management board and CEO of Orlen. “As early as 2026, clean electricity generated at sea from our Baltic Power wind farm will be delivered to end users.”
The Łeba facility, built specifically to support offshore operations, includes a reinforced service quay with cranes, berths for crew transfer vessels (CTVs), high-bay warehouse space for equipment and spare parts, and workshops for engineers and service crews. The base also houses the Baltic Power Marine Coordination Centre (MCC), which began operations with the commencement of offshore installation work.
“This is a moment of real pride for Poland’s entire offshore wind sector,” said Grzegorz Szabliński, president of the management board of Baltic Power. “From today, anyone walking along the port channel in Łeba can see a fully operational offshore wind farm facility.”
The base will handle all activities needed to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the offshore wind farm. It will also serve as the home base for service vessels, providing support for daily operations. Over the next 30 years, the base is expected to employ approximately 60 engineers and personnel.
The Łeba base currently supports the installation of the wind farm’s foundations, including monopiles and transition pieces, at a site located about 23 kilometers off the Polish coast. Turbine and subsea cable installation are set to begin shortly. Onshore, work on the cable route and substation construction in Choczewo is progressing as planned.
The Orlen-Northland Power joint venture is the most advanced offshore wind project in Poland and the first to enter the construction phase. The Baltic Power wind farm is set to be one of the first globally to feature 15MW turbines. Once completed, the farm is expected to generate around 4,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of zero-emission electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2.8 million tonnes per year.
