RWE Renewables has, through its Polish subsidiary Baltic Trade & Invest Sp. z o.o., received a positive decision by the regional Director for Environmental Protection in Szczecin for the F.E.W. Baltic II offshore wind farm.
This decision specifies the environmental conditions for the realisation of the F.E.W. Baltic II offshore wind farm, which will be located in the Polish Baltic Sea, near the city of Ustka and has a planned capacity of 350 MW.
This is the first Environmental Impact Assessment for a Polish offshore wind project, which has been assessed under a cross-border procedure (ESPOO convention), with participation of Danish and Swedish stakeholders, RWE said.
The whole Environmental Impact Assessment campaign for the offshore wind farm site took two years and was conducted with contributions from Polish scientific institutes and companies: among others the University of Gdansk, the Naval Academy, the Polish Geological Institute, the Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as the research services 3Bird and Tringa.
Receiving the environmental permit is a significant milestone in the development of RWE’s first offshore project off the Polish coast, the German company said.
Subject to the final investment decision, construction works could commence as early as 2024. Once fully operational, the wind farm would be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent needs of around 350,000 Polish households.
Port of Ustka as O&M Base
RWE has chosen the Port of Ustka for the operation and maintenance of the F.E.W. Baltic II project.
A corresponding Preliminary Plot Lease Agreement has recently been signed with the Port of Ustka Authority.
With the planned service station in the Polish port, RWE intends to contribute to the local economy and society by creating up to 50 new jobs in the long run. It is expected that the service station will be ready by 2025, working initially with two crew transfer vessels. RWE plans to serve its wind farm for at least 25-30 years from this port.