Baltic ports share experience on offshore wind energy
On September 10-12, Minister Zbigniew Gryglas, together with representatives of the Port of Gdynia Authority SA, took part in a site visit at the Port of Amsterdam and the Port of Oostende. The main purpose of the visit was to exchange knowledge and experience in connection with the preparation of port infrastructure in terms of creating offshore facilities at the Port of Gdynia.
During the meeting, port representatives shared their valuable experience related to reloading of elements for the construction of offshore wind farms. The highlight of the program was a visit to the wharves and storage yards of the Port of Amsterdam and the Port of Oostende, where offshore components are reloaded. During the visit, the participants also visited the assembly plants of elements for the construction of offshore wind farms.
During the vision, meetings were also held in Brussels with representatives of Hydrogen Europe and WindEurope, to which the Port of Gdynia Authority SA joined this year. During the meetings, the project to create an offshore facility at the Port of Gdynia was presented, key issues and milestones related to the implementation of the project were also discussed. Another aim of mentioned meetings was also to establish wider cooperation with the offshore project. All Parties participating in the vision expressed great interest in the project and willingness to establish wider cooperation within the offshore project at the Port of Gdynia.
Gdynia will be an installation port for Polish wind farms in the Baltic Sea. It is a huge offshore wind energy project that is one of the epochal infrastructure projects. Hence, the Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. in view of the development of the offshore industry in Poland, become a member of the WindEurope organization associating over 400 members in 30 countries, thus creating the largest organization related to the offshore industry in the world. Among the members there are European ports where elements of offshore wind farms are handled. Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. makes every effort to become the first Polish port on the world offshore map.
Polish offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea have a chance to play a key role in Poland's energy transformation in a low-carbon economy, contribute to guaranteeing the country's energy security and help in the decarbonisation process. Offshore wind farms are to be the main driving force behind the development of green energy in Poland in the next two decades.
The seaport in Gdynia is the closest port (from the east) to the maritime areas in the Polish coastal zone intended for the location of offshore wind farms. The location of the logistics support for the elements for the construction of offshore wind farms (OWF) in Gdynia meets the necessary requirements for this type of facilities - DOWNVInD (Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deepwater).
In addition, the Port of Gdynia conducts research aimed at the development of the offshore sector, in particular regarding the possibility of establishing a back-up facility for servicing elements for the construction of offshore wind farms, and actively participates in the creation of local facilities covering the communes of Kosakowo, Rumia and the city and commune of Gdynia (in 2019, letter of intent on cooperation).
The Port of Gdynia is an universal modern port specializing in handling general cargo, mainly unitized cargo transported in containers and in a ro-ro system, based on the well-developed network of multimodal connections including hinterland, regular Short Sea Shipping Lines as well as ferry connections (ferry terminal). The Port of Gdynia is an important link in the Corridor VI of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).