Equinor and Polenergia signed agreements for the design, production, delivery and installation of inter-array cables and export cables for the jointly built Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 1.44 GW.

Inter-array cables will be delivered and installed by Seaway7. In turn, the contract for offshore export cables was awarded to an international consortium created by Jan de Nul and Hellenic Cables. Recently, the partners also signed an agreement with DNV, which will take care of the certification of the offshore parts of the Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III wind farms.

– Signing subsequent contracts brings us closer to making the final investment decision and then delivering the first energy from the Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III offshore wind farms in 2027. These will be one of the first wind farms in the Polish sea, the launch of which will strengthen energy security and provide affordable, stable renewable energy for over 2 million households – says Michał Jerzy Kolodziejczyk, President of Equinor in Poland.

After contracting all construction elements, obtaining the necessary permits and making the final investment decision, the implementation phase of the Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III projects with a total capacity of 1.44 GW will begin.

Offshore work, including installation of internal cables and marine export cables, will begin in 2026. Internal cables with a total length of 200 kilometers and a voltage of 66 kV will connect 100 turbines located in the Baltic Sea and two marine power stations. In turn, four export cables with a total length of 256 kilometers will carry 220 kV electricity from marine power stations to land stations.

The internal cables will be laid on the seabed and buried, and the exit of the marine export cables to land will be carried out using the trenchless method, i.e. under the surface of the earth, without interfering with the coastal zone, including the beach.

– The use of this technology allows for the connection of sea and land power infrastructure while maintaining the environmental and landscape values of the Polish coast. This is very important not only for us, but also for local communities. We provide residents of seaside towns with information about the progress in the development of our projects on an ongoing basis. We talk to them at our regular meetings, but also at the recently launched Baltic Offshore Wind Farms Information Center. The point we opened in Łeba is the first facility of this type in Poland – says Marta Porzuczek, Director of the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Department at the Polenergia Group.

Selected suppliers of internal and export cables have global experience in supporting developers in the construction of offshore wind farms. Seaway7, a supplier of internal cables for the Baltic II and Baltic III investments, offers specialized services in the field of offshore infrastructure installation, as well as provides heavy transport services for the renewable energy sector.

The consortium formed by the Belgian company Jan de Nul, known for providing services related to the construction and maintenance of maritime infrastructure, in partnership with the Greek cable manufacturer, Hellenic Cables, will be responsible for the supply and installation of marine export cables for both Bałtyk offshore wind farms.

Equinor and Polenergia are jointly developing three offshore wind farms with a total capacity of up to 3 GW. In addition to the Bałtyk II and Bałtyk III projects, the partners are also developing 1.56 GW of power as part of the Bałtyk I project, which is the most advanced investment of the second phase of offshore wind in Poland. The project is being prepared for auction in 2025.