By 2040, Poland plans to have a wind farm capacity of 18 GW, equal to that of four nuclear power stations, the prime minister said on Thursday.
Donald Tusk made the statement at a press conference to launch a €7-billion offshore wind farm project with a capacity of 1.5GW, one of the biggest in the world.
Baltica 2, a joint venture between Poland’s PGE and Ørsted of Denmark, is set to start delivering electricity in 2027.
The project, to be built 40 km off the Polish coast, will cover 190 square kilometers and involve 107 turbines, each with a capacity of 14 MW.
Tusk described Baltica 2 as setting new standards for wind power.
“We’re talking about the world’s biggest turbines and about the future of Polish energy because this huge investment is just a part of a gigantic project in Polish energy,” Tusk said.
“The year 2025 will be a breakthrough year for the Polish economy when it comes to competitiveness and investment in our security,” the prime minister continued. “By 2040, we are thinking about 18 GW of wind power capacity—that’s as much as four nuclear power plants.”
“There will be no shortage of energy in Poland and consequently that energy will be cheaper,” he said.
Press materials from Tusk’s office described Baltica 2 as being of strategic importance to ensuring national energy security and said it would power 2.5 million homes.
The prime minister’s office said wind power will be a key driver of Poland’s energy transformation and the modernization of the economy.
The first electricity is to be provided by Baltica 2 in the first half of 2027, with the remainder of the project scheduled for completion in the second half of the year.
EU funds acquired through Poland’s National Recovery Plan co-finance the project.