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Cooperation and synergy as the key to the success of offshore projects at the Baltic Sea

Cooperation and synergy as the key to the success of offshore projects at the Baltic Sea

During WINDMission 2023, the most important conference devoted to wind energy in the Baltic states organised in January in Vilnius, experts on offshore wind energy discussed major challenges faced by Lithuania during performance of the first offshore projects at the Baltic Sea. The major ones included the relatively small Lithuanian market and uncertain regulatory environment.

The event preceding the conference, i.e. the workshop titled "Development of OffShore Wind Farm Project at the New Market: Managing Key Challenges and Opportunities" was offered by Green Genius and the Polenergia Group, which are jointly getting ready to participate in the first auction planned in 2023 by the Lithuanian government for the 700 MW offshore wind farm.

Competition among offshore wind farm projects around the world is growing by the day. It is important to understand that when planning the first offshore wind farms in Lithuania, we are not isolated from the changing conditions and challenges of the international market, so the time for getting prepared for them is now.

dr Darius Biekša

Head of Wind Business in Green Genius

Representatives of well-known companies with global experience that invest in the Baltic states, including Poland, were invited to take part in the discussion: Siemens Gamesa Renewables Energy, Seaway7, Ramboll, MAG Offshore and TELE-FONICA Kable. The event kicked off with presentations by the participants, summarised with a discussion panel which offered an in-depth analysis of the Lithuanian market.

Thanks to the cooperation with Modus Group, we are implementing the first foreign plans of Polenergia with respect to investments in offshore wind energy in the Baltic states. When we win an auction this year, we are going to engage partners and contractors in the performance of the project.

Jacek Czak

Project Manager of the Lithuanian project in Polenergia

During the discussion, attention was drawn to the forecasts that show that the development of the global offshore wind market will not double or even triple. Due to this, small markets, such as the Baltic States or even Poland, may face the challenge of attracting foreign investors. Synergy and cooperation with other Baltic projects should be a response to this challenge. Thanks to such approach, the development of infrastructure will be more efficient and attractive for large corporations. Companies with global experience, despite significant differences in capabilities and regulatory environment, perceive Lithuania as an integral participant of the Baltic region market.

The market of off-shore wind energy is not local or regional - it is a global market and we compete with it globally. Hence, cooperation and synergy in the region are an important success factor of projects at the Baltic Sea.

Pawel Mawduk

Head of Offshore Wind Supply Chain in Polenergia

The Baltic States have extensive experience in developing onshore assets of renewable energy, yet the development process of offshore wind energy is 2-3 times more complex as compared to onshore wind energy. Huge dimensions of components, often exceeding 100 m, make the road transport practically impossible. In practice, this translates to the necessity of building proper infrastructure close to the shore. Additionally, offshore logistics of such elements also requires specific harbour capacity and specialist machines.

The forecast growth of interest in offshore devices may result in the necessity of prioritising tasks by the suppliers. Major challenges to harmonious market development also include insufficiently defined terms of connecting such investments to the network, as well as the global factors related to the growing costs of materials, which are not fully foreseeable. Key recommendations include use of experiences of better developed markets and synergy of supply chains, not only at the domestic level, but also searching for potential interface within the entire Baltic region. The meeting organised in a hybrid formula as a pre-event of the WINDMission 2023 conference was attended by several dozen participants, directly and in a remote mode.

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Polenergia SA published this content on 07 February 2023 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 08 February 2023 09:14:32 UTC.