Baltic Power ‘s first onshore connection
Polish energy company ORLEN has completed the first of four directional drills under the coastline and seabed for the Baltic Power offshore wind farm.
Image for illustration purposes.
Poland: Polish energy company ORLEN has completed the first of four directional drills under the coastline and seabed for the Baltic Power offshore wind farm. The 1.4 km tunnel is designed to hold 30 cm diameter transmission cables which will connect the project to its onshore substation.
The tunnel was created using Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), with part of the drilling operation taking place offshore, using divers and a jack-up rig to complete the underwater section. The drilling will result in the extraction of over 8000 m3 of spoil from all four drills, with the sand used in beach restoration efforts after winter storms.
The onshore substation is being built roughly 8 km away in Osieki Lęborskie, which will receive the energy from the project and integrate it into the national grid. Completion is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025. The line linking to it will be installed underground and is being designed to minimise environmental impact.
The wind farm is developed by ORLEN in partnership with Canadian independent power producer, Northland Power. Located 23 km to the north of the coastline, the 1140 MW project is one of the most advanced planned in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea. It is one of the first projects in the world to install 15 MW wind turbines and one of the first to have a significant portion of its turbine towers made of low-carbon steel. The turbine height will exceed 200 metres and the rotor area of each turbine is approximately 43000 m2. Completion of the wind farm is expected in 2026, and it will be the first Polish offshore wind farm operating in the Baltic Sea, covering 3% of the country’s energy needs.
Source: Power Engineering International
#Baltic Power#offshore wind#ORLEN#Poland#Renewables#wind farm
