About compensations
Equinor and Polenergia, are engaged in the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. As developers of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea we place great importance on cooperation with the fishing community From the early stages of the investment, we have been conducting an open dialogue with representatives of this sector to ensure that the development of offshore wind energy goes hand in hand with respect for existing marine activities. Our cooperation includes:
- Regular meetings and consultations in ports along the Polish coast and in Pomerania. These sessions have allowed us to gather feedback and suggestions from fishermen and local communities. The insights collected formed the basis for a transitional compensation mechanism designed for vessel owners who may face restrictions on navigation and fishing during the construction of the wind farms.
- Participation in the Sector Deal for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Poland. Together with fishermen’s representatives and government administration we contribute to the work of the "Stakeholder cooperation” working group, which focuses on ensuring synergies of offshore wind farms with other forms of marine space use.
Following discussions with the fishing community, the ports of Łeba, Rowy, Ustka, and Jarosławiec have been identified as particularly exposed to direct restrictions in access to fishing grounds during the implementation of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farm projects. For this reason, we have decided that vessels owners from these ports will be eligable to apply for compensation, even if they do not have a documented fishing history in the official IT system (CMR in Gdynia) for the fishing squares located in the area of our projects.
The compensation system developed by Equinor and Polenergia is transitional and will remain in effect throughout the construction of offshore wind farms or until national lregulations are introduced and establish uniform compensation rules for all investors implementing offshore wind farm projects in the Baltic Sea.
Eligible for compensations are:
Owners of commercial fishing vessels who conducted fishing activities between 2018 and 2024 in the areas of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farm projects, i.e., in fishing squares: L5, L6, L7, L8, M7, M8, N7, N8 (see map).
Owners of commercial fishing vessels registered and based in the ports of Jarosławiec, Ustka, Rowy, or Łeba, even if they do not have documented fishing history in fishing squares: L5, L6, L7, L8, M7, M8, N7, N8.
Owners of recreational angling vessels who operated fishing trips between 2018 and 2024 from the ports of Darłowo, Ustka, Łeba, or Władysławowo.
Main rules:
- compensation is calculated jointly for both projects -– Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3,
- applications for compensation must submitted by the Owner or Co-owners of the fishing vessel,
- compensation is granted per vessel, proportionally to the ownership shares of individual Owners,
- Owners of a commercial fishing vessel must attach a copy of the “SZP” for the given year and the vessel’s registration document to the application and statements,
- Owners of recreational vessels must attach a certificate from the Port Authority confirming the vessel’s fishing trips between 2018–2024 to the application and statements,
- Owners of a commercial fishing vessel from the ports of Jarosławiec, Ustka, Rowy, or Łeba may apply for compensation either based on their home port or based on documented fishing activity in the designated fishing squares,
- compensation for a commercial fishing vessel is paid for each year of construction of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms,
- compensation for recreational angling vessels is paid as a one-off payment,
- at the time of payment, the vessel must not be withdrawn from service or scrapped.
Schedule of application rounds under the Transitional Compensation Mechanism related to the construction of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms
| Call for applications for Owners of commercial fishing vessels | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Call | Application deadline | Period covered by the compensation | Explanations |
| First Call | September – December 2025 | 15.03-31.12.2025 | Compensation for 9.5 months of 2025 will be calculated proportionally to the amounts from TABLE 1 or TABLE 2 and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions. The closure of the area, effective from March 15, 2025 – decision of the Director of the Maritime Office in connection with works on the offshore wind farm power export infrastructure. |
| Second Call | January – March 2026 | 2026 | Full compensation – in accordance with the amounts specified in TABLE 1 or TABLE 2 and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions. |
| Third Call | January – March 2027 | 2027 | Full compensation – in accordance with the amounts specified in TABLE 1 or TABLE 2 and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions. |
| Fourth Call | January – March 2028 | From January 2028 till the end of construction works | Compensation will be calculated proportionally to the amounts from TABLE 1 or TABLE 2 and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, in line with the offshore work schedule. The schedule may be updated – information will be provided on an ongoing basis. |
| Call for applications for Owners of recreational angling vessels – single call | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Call | Application deadline | Period covered by the compensation | Explanations |
| Call for applications for owners of recreational angling vessels – single call | September –December 2025 | Single compensation | Compensation in the form of a single payment for owners of recreational angling vessels, in accordance with the conditions set out in TABLE 3 and the Terms and Conditions. |
Compensation rates
| TABLE 1. Annual compensation for owners of commercial fishing vessels based on fishing history in the fishing squares | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vessel length | Total 1st call (amount calculated proportionally) | Total 2nd call | Total 3rd call | Total 4th call (amount calculated proportionally*) |
| do 7,99 m | 10 080 PLN/vessel | 12 600 PLN/vessel | 12 600 PLN/vessel | 6 300 PLN/vessel |
| 8 -11,99 m | 75 720 PLN/vessel | 94 650 PLN/vessel | 94 650 PLN/vessel | 47 325 PLN/vessel |
| 12-17,99 m | 54 160 PLN/vessel | 67 700 PLN/vessel | 67 700 PLN/vessel | 33 850 PLN/vessel |
| 18-23,99 m | 47 040 PLN/vessel | 58 800 PLN/vessel | 58 800 PLN/vessel | 29 400 PLN/vessel |
| 24-39,99 m | 46 560 PLN/vessel | 58 200 PLN/vessel | 58 200 PLN/vessel | 29 100 PLN/vessel |
* Subject to the offshore work completion schedule
| TABLE 2. Annual compensation for owners of commercial fishing vessels from particularly affected ports (JAROSŁAWIEC, USTKA, ROWY, ŁEBA) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vessel length | Total 1st call (amount calculated proportionally) | Total 2nd call | Total 3rd call | Total 4th call (amount calculated proportionally*) |
| do 7,99 m | 6 120 PLN/vessel | 7 650 PLN/vessel | 7 650 PLN/vessel | 3 825 PLN/vessel |
| 8 -11,99 m | 14 800 PLN/vessel | 18 500 PLN/vessel | 18 500 PLN/vessel | 9 250 PLN/vessel |
| 12-17,99 m | 18 880 PLN/vessel | 23 600 PLN/vessel | 23 600 PLN/vessel | 11 800 PLN/vessel |
| 18-23,99 m | 22 400 PLN/vessel | 28 000 PLN/vessel | 28 000 PLN/vessel | 14 000 PLN/vessel |
| 24-39,99 m | 24 320 PLN/vessel | 30 400 PLN/vessel | 30 400 PLN/vessel | 15 200 PLN/vessel |
* Subject to the offshore work completion schedule
| TABLE 3. One-off compensation for Owners of recreational angling vessels | |
|---|---|
| Port | Amount of one-off compensation |
| Łeba and Ustka | 57 750 PLN/vessel |
| Darłowo i Władysławowo | 38 500 PLN/vessel |
Submission of compensation applications
Online application:
rekompensaty@baltyk123.pl
In person during meetings and duty hours in ports – current information about meetings is available in News
By post to the address:
Sotis Advisors sp. z o.o.,
ul. Dąbrowszczaków 5, 03-476 Warsaw,
with the note on the envelope: “Transitional Compensation Mechanism OWF B2/B3”
Information regarding compensation payments can also be obtained by phone at +48 575 240 080
or by email at rekompensaty@baltyk123.pl
Documents for download:
Documents only in Polish
For Owners of commercial fishing vessels
Application for compensation payment for Owners of commercial fishing vessels Instructions for completing the application for Owners of commercial fishing vessels Agreement on compensation payment for Owners of commercial fishing vessels Terms and Conditions for submitting applications for Owners of commercial fishing vessels Information clause for Owners of commercial fishing vesselsFor Owners of recreational angling vessels
Application for compensation payment for Owners of recreational fishing vessels Instructions for completing the application for Owners of recreational fishing vessels Agreement on compensation payment for Owners of recreational fishing vessels Terms and Conditions for submitting applications for Owners of recreational fishing vessels Information clause for Owners of recreational fishing vesselsFrequently Asked Questions
What is the Transitional Compensation Mechanism?
The Transitional Compensation Mechanism is intended to mitigate the effects of restricted access to Baltic Sea resources during the construction of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms and the associated cable infrastructure. It forms part of the document titled Livelihood Restoration Plan – LRP. (link to LRP)
On what basis was the compensation amount for commercial fishing vessels calculated?
The compensation amounts were calculated based on official catch data from the Electronic Reporting System (ERS), administered by the Fisheries Monitoring Centre in Gdynia. For each vessel length segment (e.g., up to 7.99 m, 8–11.99 m, 12–17.99 m, etc.), the vessel with the highest documented catches was used as the reference for calculation. The resulting values were then adjusted using current market fish prices. An additional lump sum was added to these calculated values to account for other difficulties, such as longer routes to fishing grounds or increased vessel operating costs.
On what basis was the amount of compensation for recreational vessels calculated?
The data used for for calculations were based on a model developed in the Baltic Power OWF project, results of research trips carried out by the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute under the Multiannual Fisheries Data Collection Programme, as well as survey results and detailed spatial analyses.
Why did we identify “particularly affected” ports?
The Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms will be located 37 km and 22 km from the shore, off the ports of Łeba and Ustka. The ports of Łeba, Rowy, Ustka, and Jarosławiec were identified as particularly affected due to the proximity of export cable routes, the location of the service base in the port of Łeba, and the potential impact of temporary restrictions on the operations of fishing vessels based in these ports.
Why does the compensation amount for recreational vessels differ depending on the port?
The level of compensation was determined based on the intensity of recreational fishing trips originating from each port within the construction area of the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms.
How long will applicants have to wait to receive compensation after submitting an application?
Compensation will be paid within approximately 90 days of submitting a correctly completed application with all required attachments, provided that the criteria set out in the Terms and Conditions are met and a properly issued invoice has been submitted.
Will applicants have to issue invoices? Will the amounts be paid gross or net?
Yes, the the payment of compensation is conditional upon the issuance of a correctly prepared invoice by the applicant. Compensation amounts will be paid on the gross basis, in accordance with the rules set out in the Terms and Conditions.