In a report just published, Ernst & Young Consultants have advised the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA) that the Polish economy could be boosted by 17.5 billion Euros if it installs 6GW of offshore energy by 2025. The report was entitled “Offshore Wind Energy — Analysis of benefits for the Polish economy and development determinants”. It says that Polish offshore wind could create 31,800 new jobs for the country by 2025. It would also support a vibrant local supply chain. Polish companies are already involved in offshore wind.
Among them are the Crist Shipyard, GSG Towers and Grupa Kapitalowa Visual — manufacturers of turbine towers and steel offshore structures. The country has a national renewable energy action plan which commits it to install 500MW of offshore wind capacity by 2020. While this may seem initially ambitious, PWEA president Wojciech Cetnarski, pictured here, thinks it is too modest. A target of 6GW in the 2020s would be necessary to avoid a power deficit as older coal-fired plants are shut down under EU rules.
Of all the European countries, Poland has been identified as one of the top three that offers future potential for wind power development. The EU target for Poland is that 15% of Poland’s energy shall come from renewable sources by 2020. Unsurprisingly this has created a huge demand for turnkey wind power turbines in Poland. As much as 800-1000 MW of wind power annually is needed to be installed for the next ten years to reach this goal by 2020. That should set investors and manufacturers’ pulses racing.
To support the development needed to meet this target, Poland uses the Green Certificate System in which renewable energy sources like wind power, hydropower, solar power and biogas are included. Electricity marketers are also obliged to buy at least 10.% of their energy from renewable energy sources which means that the demand is high. However, it is not all plain sailing.
Companies wishing to enter the Polish offshore wind market complain of the number of obstacles being placed in their way by government bodies as developers seek to obtain development licenses. It is claimed that some powerful lobbyists within the Polish government have yet to be convinced that they should support the emergence of the offshore wind industry.
In April it became obvious that the environment ministry opposes the issuing of offshore wind development licenses because it wishes to protect sites for future shale gas exploitation. Two weeks ago, the agriculture ministry said that offshore wind stations will interfere with fisheries. Forty-eight sites have been identified as potential locations for offshore wind stations in the Polish Baltic Sea, yet only three licenses have been granted so far…All to well-known Polish names: Kulczyk, Orlen and PGE. with the latter two are controlled by the Polish state.
