The Polish branch of Ørsted and the Warsaw University of Technology have signed a letter of intent on cooperation. The aim of the agreement is to educate future staff for the offshore wind energy sector, and to create a scholarship program for the most promising students studying in this field.

The Letter of Intent, signed on November 8, 2021, begins a long-term cooperation between Orsted in Poland and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology in promoting research and development, as well as implementing safe and sustainable energy solutions for the development of offshore wind farms in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea.

- We want to use Ørsted's 30 years of experience in the offshore wind energy sector and the knowledge of hundreds of experts supporting us around the world to create a tailor-made offer for the emerging offshore market in Poland. Therefore, in addition to the intention to make the greatest possible contribution to the development of the Polish economy through our investments, we want as many engineers and engineers from Polish universities as possible to work on offshore wind farm projects in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. That is why we are very happy to establish cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology and to create a platform for educating future staff serving wind farms not only in Poland, but also around the world, with this prestigious university. We want to educate world-class specialists in the field of offshore wind energy in Poland, combining the knowledge and passion of scientists from the Warsaw University of Technology with the practice and experience of Ørsted experts - says Michael Prutsch, board member of Ørsted Polska of Services, which develops offshore farm projects in Poland.

- Thanks to the cooperation of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the company Ørsted, the Warsaw University of Technology will participate even more intensively in the process of creating and developing offshore wind energy in Poland. The element connecting all renewable energy sources are power electronic devices also used in photovoltaics, electromobility and for the processing and storage of electricity. Our students and research staff will gain valuable knowledge and experience in the new and dynamically developing industry sector - says PhD Marek Jasiński, prof. of the university, Head of the Department of Industrial Electronics at the Institute of Control and Industrial Electronics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology.

The cooperation between the parties will start with a series of guest lectures led by Ørsted experts. There are also plans to launch a pilot scholarship program financed by Ørsted for graduate students analyzing the key challenges for the Polish power system related to the development of offshore farms in the Baltic Sea, as well as a scholarship program for academic staff with whom Ørsted intends to carry out research and scientific projects for future commercialization by the wind industry. The parties also intend to work on creating a program and launching a field of study focused on offshore wind farms.

The inspiration to establish long-term cooperation with the Warsaw University of Technology was the lecture by Łukasz Kocewiak, a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of this university, and today an Ørsted expert, conducted in May 2021. - The development of a completely new renewable energy sector for Poland will generate demand for tens of thousands of new jobs. That is why I am happy to come back to my own Alma Mater with the mission of sharing with my younger colleagues the practical knowledge gained during 13 years of work in Ørsted. I also hope that as part of our cooperation we will manage to inspire our scientists to start working on Polish solutions for offshore wind sector, which we will then be able to implement around the world - says Łukasz Kocewiak, head of one of the six key areas of research and development at Ørsted which coordinates global work on the development of innovative technologies related to the transmission of energy from offshore farms to the grid.

According to the Polish Energy Policy (PEP), approx. 11 GW of capacity from offshore wind farms will be generated in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea by 2040. Their development will generate a huge demand for employees in the sector. The Polish Wind Energy Association estimates that over 70,000 people may find employment in the sector. people.