Equinor and Polenergia at the Harvest Festival of the Słupsk Commune

The presence of Equinor and Polenergia in municipalities where offshore wind farm projects will be implemented is expected to last for years. "That's why we try to be with the local community as often and as closely as possible. Our stand at the Harvest Festival of the Słupsk Commune was visited by hundreds of residents – say representatives of the companies. Equinor and Polenergia are already permanent guests in the life of the community of the Słupsk region.

Equinor and Polenergia - as co-organizers of the municipal harvest festival - prepared attractions for the participants of the harvest festival in Swołowo, which aim was to familiarize them with the subject of energy transformation and offshore wind energy. Residents could get interesting information about this new, dynamic industry. There were competitions with prizes, workshops for children on building a wind turbine, and an energy bike with a juicer. The demonstrations and training in first aid prepared by the companies were very popular. Using phantoms and a defibrillator, paramedics demonstrated how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults, children, and infants, and how to act in the event of choking, bleeding, or other emergencies.

At our stand, everyone could find something for themselves. In a friendly and interesting form, we presented the benefits of the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. We talked to residents about career prospects in the offshore wind industry and answered their questions. We listen to the voices of the local community and remain in regular, direct contact with the inhabitants of the region, also during such events as the annual Harvest Festival of the Słupsk Commune – says Andrzej Popadiuk, Equinor Stakeholder Cooperation Manager in Pomerania.

Equinor and Polenergia are jointly developing three offshore wind farm projects. Baltic I, Baltic II, and Baltic III, with a total capacity of about 3 GW, which will supply more than 4 million households with renewable energy. The first electricity from the most advanced offshore wind farms Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III, with a total capacity of 1.44 GW, will flow to the Polish energy system as early as 2027. The farms will be located at the height of Łeba at a distance of 22 to over 80 km from the coastline. In turn, the infrastructure used to derive power from wind farms to the transformer station in Wierzbięcin will run through the areas of the Ustka and Słupsk communes.

Offshore wind farms are long-term investments that mean our presence in municipalities for at least 30 years. We want to be a reliable and good neighbor for the inhabitants of the region, which is why we are very active in contact with the local community. This means not only cooperation with local governments of the Słupsk region. We also organize information meetings for residents and try to mark our presence in events important to them - says Marta Porzuczek, director of the environmental protection department of Polenergia.

In July, Equinor and Polenergia, together with residents and tourists, celebrated the 666th anniversary of granting city rights and the 25th anniversary of the Duchy of Łeba. Employees of both companies participated in the march of Prince Łeba's retinue, and the company's stand was visited by hundreds of people. Equinor and Polenergia have already become a permanent part of the life of this seaside city. In June, the companies opened the Baltic Offshore Wind Farm Information Centre in Łeba. This is the first year-round information and educational point in Poland about offshore wind energy. One of its most important tasks is to spread knowledge about joint projects implemented in the Baltic Sea by Equinor and Polenergia. The facility located in the center of Łeba is a place where you can get comprehensive information about investments, benefits for the region, jobs, and educational paths.

An operational and service base for the Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III offshore wind farms will be located in Łeba. On the revitalized site of the former shipyard, Equinor will build modern, environmentally friendly office space, a wind farm control and maintenance center, a spare parts warehouse, and docks for mooring vessels. The construction of the base will begin at the turn of 2023 and 2024, and the facility is planned to be commissioned at the end of 2025. Long-term employment in the service base will find about 100 specialists, responsible for the technical maintenance of infrastructure and equipment at sea, as well as for supporting their operation from the ground. New jobs will be created not only in the construction and operation of offshore wind farms but also through suppliers of components and services. Equinor and Polenergia estimate that in this way their investments will provide about 10,000 jobs. In the implementation of wind farms, investors intend to cooperate with both large, nationwide companies and smaller, local businesses.