The three largest Polish energy companies have signed a letter of intent on cooperation in future offshore wind farm projects.
The companies recognize the value of the offshore wind energy sector for the development of the Polish economy and increasing the level of Poland’s energy security.
“The construction of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea is a project of great importance for the Polish economy. It is not only a step towards the transformation of our energy sector towards a low-carbon economy, but above all benefits related to stimulating development, increasing innovation, and using the potential of Polish companies. This is particularly important in helping the economy to recover from a pandemic crisis. At the same time, it is crucial for us to be able to participate in this project of hundreds of Polish companies, which may be suppliers and subcontractors in the supply chain.”
Jacek Sasin, deputy prime minister.
The Minister of State Assets emphasizes that the agreement signed by PGE, Enea and Tauron means that the State Treasury companies will now work together to make the best use of the opportunity created by the development of offshore wind energy.
In the signed letter of intent, PGE, Enea and TAURON expressed their will to establish strategic cooperation related to future investment projects in the field of offshore wind energy in the area of the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone of the Baltic Sea. The motivation to start cooperation is to obtain the synergy effect when undertaking joint offshore investments.
“Among Polish enterprises with State Treasury participation, PGE is a leader in the development of offshore wind energy in Poland and has the most extensive knowledge on the implementation of such projects. Thanks to this agreement, together with Tauron and Enea, we can increase our chances in the process of applying for location permits for offshore wind farms and increase the possibilities of financing the development of offshore wind energy investment projects in the Baltic Sea. The development of offshore wind projects is also a huge investment impulse for the entire Polish economy and Polish entrepreneurs. The letter of intent signed today is the first step towards establishing a company by PGE, Enea and Tauron, the goal of which will be the development of offshore wind energy.”
Wojciech Dąbrowski, president of the management board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.
“Using the energy potential of the Baltic Sea requires the construction of an efficient financing mechanism, cooperation of Polish companies and specialized competences. Today’s agreement will bring about a synergy effect in the construction of Polish offshore wind capacity. Wind energy in the Baltic Sea also plays an important role in our plans to build green capacities after 2025.”
Wojciech Ignacok, CEO of TAURON Polska Energia.
“Offshore wind energy plays an extremely important role in the development plans of the Enea Capital Group. Today’s formal establishment of cooperation between the three companies will allow us to become much more competitive on the demanding offshore market, which in turn will significantly accelerate and strengthen our activities in this business segment.”
Paweł Szczeszek, CEO of Enea.
By 2030, the capacity of PGE’s offshore wind farms will reach 2.5 GW. In 2040, in accordance with the assumptions of the New Strategy of the PGE Group, the company will have offshore wind farms with a capacity of 6.5 GW. At that time, according to government assumptions, offshore wind farms in the Polish Baltic zone will have a capacity of 8-11 GW.
PGE is currently in the process of selecting an industry partner for the Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 wind projects with a total capacity of 2.5 GW. The signed letter of intent will not affect the process of its acquisition and the offshore wind farm projects developed jointly with an industry partner, for which it will be necessary to obtain location permits.
TAURON is consistently implementing the energy transformation. TAURON’s Green Return assumes increasing the share of RES in the generation mix to over 65 percent by 2030, while reducing CO2 emissions by half. By 2025, TAURON intends to have over 1000 MW of installed capacity in onshore wind turbines and photovoltaic farms with a capacity of 300 MW. Wind farms in the Baltic Sea are to play an important role in the Group’s transformation after 2025.
Enea Group, as one of the most important entities on the energy market in Poland, wants to actively participate in the development of the renewable energy sector, including offshore wind farms. The implementation of offshore projects in the Baltic Sea is in line with these assumptions and will have a significant impact on the implementation of the strategic goal, which is an ambitious transformation in the field of low-emission and zero-emission energy generation.
