The joint venture between ORLEN Group and Northland Power has installed two offshore substations for the Baltic Power offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea, according to an Oct. 29 news release.
The OSS West and OSS East are situated about 20 km from the Polish coast at Choczewo. The topsides of both structures were fabricated at local shipyards in Gdańsk and Gdynia.
They will receive electricity generated by 76 x 15-MW wind turbines connected by inter-array cables, stepping up the voltage to 230 kV before transferring the power to an onshore substation in Choczewo via four offshore export cables and onshore cables.
Each of the offshore substations features two power transformers, gas-insulated switchboards (230 kV/66 kV), a diesel generator, various cranes, and auxiliary switchboards, control and supervision systems.
The main contractor for the substations was a consortium between CS Wind Offshore and Semco Maritime, supported by Polish companies, with Grupa Przemysłowa Baltic responsible for their construction.
Following completion, each structure, weighing 1,300 t, was transported to Denmark for equipment outfitting, increasing their weight to 2,500 t. The cranes were supplied by Polish manufacturer Protea.
Other local companies in Poland manufactured nacelles for the wind turbines, foundation components, and onshore cables.
For the offshore installation program, which involved liifting and placement of the transition pieces and steel structures onto the monopile foundations, the joint venture deployed a floating crane, supported by tugboats, barges, and crew transfer vessels.
Over 20 vessels are currently involved in the simultaneous installation, maintenance and pre-commissioning of the offshore cables, all coordinated from the project’s base in Łeba. Following the conclusion of offshore construction in 2026, testing, certification and permitting will begin.
Baltic Power will be Poland’s first operational offshore wind farm, providing around 1.2 GW of power to the national grid.