GRI, Baltic Towers, ARP tie up to roll out turbine towers in Poland

January 20 (Renewables Now) - Spain-based GRI Renewable Industries, Poland's Industrial Development Agency (ARP) and local Baltic Towers have set up a joint venture (JV) to make offshore wind turbine towers in Poland's Baltic city of Gdansk, the environment ministry said on Thursday.

The Spanish wind tower maker and ARP will jointly invest over EUR 150 million (USD 162m) and production is planned to start in 2025, the ministry said in a press release.

The partners will build a production facility in Gdansk with access to the wharf, capable of delivering over 120 towers per year for wind turbines with a capacity of over 14 MW, ARP president Cezariusz Lesisz explained in a separate release.

The project aims to meet the growing demand for wind towers, as well as to increase the share of Polish companies in the supply chain for the construction of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea, the ministry noted.

Poland's emerging offshore sector will be supported by another factory, that of Spanish wind turbine tower maker Windar Renovables, planned to go online in 2024 in the Baltic city of Gdinia, Windar said a year earlier.

The developments come as Polish and foreign sector players are looking to develop the country’s first offshore wind farms. PGE with Ørsted is focused on the 2.5 GW Baltica wind farm, PKN Orlen will collaborate with Northland Power in the 1.2-GW Baltic Power project. Equinor and Polenergia have tied up for developing 1.4 GW of offshore capacity while RWE is making progress with a 350-MW facility in Polish waters.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.082)