Offshore wind energy - postgraduate studies in this field were launched by the Gdańsk University of Technology in cooperation and under the auspices of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society. The agreement in this matter was signed on Tuesday at the Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology PG. Recruitment for the 2019/2020 academic year is already underway. This is the first such project in Poland.

- The agreement concerns the organization of joint post-graduate studies, training specialists, which we lack, in wind farms, which, hopefully, as soon as possible will be built on the Polish shelf in the Baltic Sea. In addition to specialist knowledge related to the design and operation of such power plants, we also want to provide knowledge related to legal aspects related to the operation of such systems at sea - says prof. Marek Dzida, vice-rector for education and didactics, and head of the Department of Automatic Control and Energy at the Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology of the Gdańsk University of Technology.

Recruitment for two-semester postgraduate studies "Offshore wind energy" lasts until September 15 this year (25-30 places have been prepared). The condition for their accession is the completion of higher education - master's, engineering or undergraduate. The study program will allow you to acquire professional knowledge about technologies used in the offshore wind energy sector, as well as the functioning of related markets and all aspects of the preparation and implementation of offshore wind farm projects in the Polish exclusive economic zone of the Baltic Sea.

Pilot edition of offshore wind energy studies is directly related to the expected intensive development of the offshore market  in Poland. Project Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 includes implementation of offshore wind farms with a total capacity of over 10 GW, which will make Poland a potential leader of this industry in Europe. The aim of the study is to prepare professional staff for the needs of such a large market.

- Polish Wind Energy Association estimates that over the next 15 years employment, both direct and indirect, related to the development of investments in offshore wind energy, will reach tens of thousands of people nationwide. Post-graduate study at the Gdańsk University of Technology is, I hope, the first of many steps that will be taken in this direction - says Mariusz Witoński, president of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society.

The investment in offshore wind energy is additionally justified by the well-developed supply chain in Poland for the offshore wind industry, carrying out orders for projects in this energy sector located on foreign markets, including the construction of world-class offshore vessels, specialized steel structures, electrical equipment or research and measurement services.

- In addition to the fact that these specialists will help us build this industry sector, we hope, they will also be our invaluable export material. Polish technology and technical thought will export to all the world solutions that will be used here - says Krzysztof Stopierzyński , president of Baltic Diving Solutions.

The first energy from turbines on the Baltic Sea is expected to be generated in 2025-2026. State budget revenues from the construction of offshore wind farms in the Polish exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea are estimated at up to PLN 100 billion. The Polish offshore industry related to the development of offshore wind energy in Poland after 2025 can guarantee employment of over 77,000 people. It will able to provide at least 50% of the value of orders related to the construction of wind farms in the Baltic Sea, and in the next few years - up to 75%.

Currently, nine location permits for offshore wind farm projects located in the Polish exclusive economic zone, issued in the years 2012-2013, are in force. Permits were handed to four developers: Polska Grupa Energetyczna, BALTIC TRADE AND INVEST, PKN Orlen and Polenergia, in which the Statoil / Equinor concern took over 50% of shares. It is possible that other world players will also enter the Polish offshore market.