Van Oord (Dutch maritime contracting company) has completed the transport and installation of all monopile foundations and transition pieces for Baltic Power, Poland's offshore wind farm, marking a landmark moment in the country's push toward renewable energy.

The Dutch marine contractor announced the milestone, following what it described as a complex and closely coordinated campaign involving next-generation turbine foundations and a newly upgraded heavy-lift vessel.

A Historic First for Poland

The Baltic Power offshore wind farm is being developed by a joint venture between Polish energy company ORLEN and Canadian firm Northland Power. Located 23 kilometres north of the Polish coast, the project is planned to have a capacity of up to 1.2 gigawatts, enough to supply renewable electricity to more than 1.5 million Polish households.

Baltic Power is scheduled to become operational in the second half of 2026 and is expected to cover 3 percent of Poland's national electricity demand. As Poland's offshore wind project enters construction, Baltic Power occupies a unique and consequential role in the country's energy landscape.

Maciej Stryjecki, CEO and President of the Management Board at Baltic Power, acknowledged both the significance and the difficulty of that position. "Paving the way for the offshore wind industry in Poland as the country's first project under construction is both a privilege and an immense challenge," he said. "We installed foundations for a new generation of turbines — the largest currently available on the European market, with a capacity of 15 MW — which required significant upgrades to the installation fleet."

Installing the Next Generation of Turbine Foundations

The project called for the installation of 78 monopile foundations and 76 transition pieces, all of which Van Oord has now successfully completed. The wind farm will use 15 megawatt wind turbines, which represent the newest generation of offshore wind technology and demand substantially larger foundations than earlier turbine models.

The majority of the monopile foundations were installed using Van Oord's heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen, which recently underwent a significant upgrade, including a 25-metre crane extension. Baltic Power is the first project on which the upgraded Svanen has been deployed, with its increased lifting height and capacity enabling the installation of foundations suited to the 15 MW turbines.

To manage the logistics of marshalling the large foundations at the port and transferring them to and from the water, Van Oord worked with heavy lifting and transport company Mammoet. Mammoet utilized its XXL monopile transport system for port operations and deployed its new MTC1600 crane, which was developed in collaboration with Van Oord specifically to serve the Baltic Power project.

The installation of all 76 transition pieces was handled separately, carried out by SAL's DP2 heavy-lift vessel MV Lone, with a Van Oord team on board to oversee operations throughout the campaign.

Coordination and Partnership

Van Oord described the project as one requiring close coordination with its client and multiple specialist partners to ensure safe and efficient execution at each stage. Maurits den Broeder, Managing Director Offshore Energy at Van Oord, pointed to the collaborative approach as central to the outcome.

"Our close and constructive cooperation with our client and partners involved played a crucial role in achieving this milestone, enabling us to deliver the project efficiently and with a shared ambition to contribute to the further development of offshore wind as a reliable renewable energy source," he said.

Stryjecki similarly highlighted the role of expertise and commitment from both the project team and the transport and installation contractor. "The experience and know-how gained through the Baltic Power project will provide valuable lessons for future developments," he said, indicating that the technical and logistical knowledge built during this campaign is expected to inform Poland's broader offshore wind pipeline.

Van Oord's Growing Presence in the Baltic Region

Baltic Power represents Van Oord's first offshore wind project in Poland, but the company is already preparing for a follow-on assignment in the country. Van Oord has announced it is gearing up for work on the Baltica 2 Offshore Wind Farm, which is being developed by PGE Baltica and Ørsted.

The company described the Baltica 2 contract as part of a long-term commitment to accelerating offshore wind development in the Baltic region. The back-to-back nature of the two Polish projects positions Van Oord as a significant participant in what is expected to become one of Europe's more active offshore wind markets.

Poland has been working to establish its offshore wind sector as part of its broader energy transition goals, and the completion of the Baltic Power foundation campaign provides both a technical proof of concept and a logistical template for future projects in Polish waters.

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