ORLEN Neptun said on Monday that its Baltic East offshore wind project has received environmental approval from the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Gdańsk, advancing the roughly 1 GW farm toward participation in Poland’s first offshore wind auction scheduled for December.
The project, located around 22.5 km offshore on a 110 km² site near the Baltic Power project, has the potential to supply electricity to more than 1.25 million households. The approval covers turbines, foundations, offshore substations, and inter-array cables, while a separate process is underway for the grid connection.
Janusz Bil, president of ORLEN Neptun, said the decision was achieved “in such a short timeframe” due to the team’s expertise and commitment. He added: “This is an important milestone that allows us to continue the investment process and prepare Baltic East to take part in Poland’s first offshore wind auction. In parallel, we are working to secure financing and obtain all the necessary permits so that, in 2032, energy from our wind farm can be fed into the Polish grid.”
ORLEN Neptun said the December auction will allocate support for up to 4 GW of offshore capacity under the contracts-for-difference scheme. The company also highlighted that the project will make extensive use of local suppliers across construction, logistics, and services.
Baltic East already holds preliminary grid connection conditions, a PSZW permit, and a PUUK cable permit, with design and engineering work underway for building permit applications. Environmental measures include a migratory bird corridor and solutions to limit underwater noise, following years of studies and analyses conducted mainly by Polish companies.
The announcement forms part of ORLEN’s broader offshore wind strategy in Poland, which includes six licenses, with Baltic Power expected to start generating electricity next year and Baltic West under development in parallel.
