Poland signs offshore wind sector deal to boost local content

The Polish government has signed an offshore wind ’sector deal’ for the country, vowing to maximise local content in the nascent industry.

Government ministers, industry representatives from the Polish Wind Energy Association (PSEW) and the Polish Society of Maritime Wind Energy, project developers and supply-chain companies signed the agreement, which is similar to a pact in place in the UK.

It will create a permanent platform for cooperation between government and investors and operators of Polish offshore wind farms, the climate and environment ministry explained.

Under the terms of the agreement, the country’s climate minister will coordinate regular meetings where signatories will exchange information on progress and experience of developing offshore wind.

Poland aims to award contracts for difference for 10.9GW of offshore wind capacity by 2027. It has awarded contracts for just over 5.9GW so far, and the first projects are expected to be commissioned in the middle of the decade.

Prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said offshore wind will create tens of thousands of new jobs in Poland. “Today we are on the threshold of building a new sector of the economy. Offshore wind energy will provide us with access to cheap energy and will strengthen the competitiveness of Polish enterprises,” he added.

Offshore wind offers Poland an opportunity to rebuild its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to climate minister Michał Kurtyka, with the agreement boosting the participation of Polish companies in the sector.