Norway’s Equinor and Poland’s Polenergia announced Hitachi Energy will deliver electrical systems infrastructure to Poland’s offshore wind projects MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III, as part of a strategic cooperation between the two companies to develop wind farms in the Baltic Sea. 

The wind farms, located near the port of Łeba, will have a total installed capacity of 1,440 megawatts (MW)—enough to power 2 million Polish homes. It is the first phase of Poland’s offshore wind industry development that has a total expected capacity of 5,900 MW. 

The locations of the three wind projects offshore Poland.
The site areas of the three wind projects offshore Poland. (Source: Equinor)

After a final investment decision (FID), expected in 2024, Hitachi Energy will be responsible for the wind farms’ electrical system design—from its wind turbines to its connecting point with the grid at Słupsk-Wierzbięcino substation, Poland. 

Under the terms of the contract, Hitachi Energy will be responsible for delivery of the overall power control system, telecom network, high voltage equipment at the offshore substation and onshore substation and turnkey delivery of the onshore substation. 

The system will be integrated with relevant equipment of interfacing contractors so the wind farms’ transmission system is compliant with the Polish grid code. 

“We are ordering the ‘heart’ of the system for transmission and transformation of energy from offshore wind farms. This is one of the most important contracts of our Bałtyk projects,” said Michał Michalski, president of the management board of Polenergia. “We are entering into a partnership with one of the world's leading energy companies, whose HVAC technology is crucial to the efficient transmission of energy from sea to land.”

The project is the first after Equinor and Hitachi Energy agreed to strategically collaborate on future projects earlier this year. Together, the companies hope to develop a local supply chain for electrical infrastructure to offshore wind farms in Poland, said Mette H. Ottøy, Equinor’s chief procurement officer. 

The first power delivered to the grid is expected in 2027, with necessary permits and FID expected in 2024. 

Offshore