Equinor and Polenergia with contracts for the transport and installation of foundations and offshore stations for the Bałtyk 2 and 3 projects

Equinor and Polenergia have signed contracts for the transport and installation of foundations and offshore substations for the Baltic 2 and Baltic 3 projects. Offshore work in 2026-2027 will be carried out by Heerema Marine Contractors, using, for among others, a ship with a heavy lift crane. The Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 1440 MW will supply more than 2 million households with green energy.

Heerema Marine Contractors is a Dutch contractor for the offshore wind sector. The company has extensive experience in the installation of floating structures at sea using its fleet of floating cranes. The contract with Equinor and Polenergia covers the transport and installation of 100 monopiles, transition elements, and two offshore transformer stations, which will be transported from the production plants and installed at the target location of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 projects.

– The Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms will supply clean energy to more than 2 million households. The agreements we have just signed bring us significantly closer to this goal. The contracts cover the transport and installation of foundations for wind towers, as well as the installation of offshore substations, necessary for the operation of both projects. We are convinced that the wind farms we are developing in the Baltic Sea will change the face of the Polish energy sector and the Polish economy. The first electricity from our most advanced projects, Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3, will flow as early as 2027 – says Jerzy Zań, President of the Management Board of Polenergia S.A.

During the installation of the components of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms, the contractor will use, among others, a vessel called Thialf, equipped with a heavy lift crane. The ship's advanced capabilities make Thialf suitable for complex tasks in large-scale offshore wind energy projects.

The plan adopted by Equinor and Polenergia and the contractor assumes that all foundations (monopiles and jackets) will be installed in 2026, while the so-called topsides of offshore substations will be installed in separate campaigns in 2026 and 2027.

– The signing of contracts for the transport and installation of offshore foundations and transformer stations for the Bałtyk 2 and 3 wind farm projects consistently brings us closer to the final investment decision and the commencement of construction. Our projects, which will be among the first to be built in the Baltic Sea, are extremely important for the development of the Polish offshore sector, accelerating the energy transition process and increasing Polish's energy independence. Energy from the Bałtyk 2 and 3 offshore wind farms will power over 2 million Polish homes. We are proud to be able to implement our mission, which is to provide energy in a safe, sustainable and responsible way – says Michał Jerzy Kołodziejczyk, President of the Management Board of Equinor in Poland.

The Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms, with a total capacity of 1440 MW, will be located in the Polish exclusive economic zone of the Baltic Sea, at a distance of 22 to 37 km from the coastline. The first energy from the Baltic 2 and Baltic 3 projects is expected to flow to the grid as early as 2027. The commercial stage of their use is planned for 2028.

In the next phase of offshore wind development in Poland, Equinor and Polenergia are implementing the
Bałtyk 1 project, which will be 81 km away from the shore. Bałtyk 1, with a capacity of up to 1560 MW, is a project of the largest wind farm in the Baltic Sea, prepared for auction in 2025. The Bałtyk 1, 2, and 3 offshore wind farms, developed by Equinor and Polenergia, will supply more than 4 million households with green energy.

_{* Ship Thialf, illustrative art. Source: Heerema Marine Contractors}