Equinor and Poland-based energy company Polenergia awarded a contract to Hitachi Energy to supply electrical systems infrastructure for the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III offshore wind projects in Poland.
To be developed in the Baltic Sea about 27km and 40km from the port of Łeba, the MFW Bałtyk II and MFW Bałtyk III projects are expected to have a combined installed capacity of 1.44GW.
As per the terms of the contract, Hitachi Energy will provide the electrical system design for the Polish offshore wind projects, from the wind turbines to the point of connection into the grid at the Słupsk-Wierzbięcino substation.
The scope of the contract also includes system study analysis and the integration of all the required equipment of interfacing contractors. This is expected to ensure that the entire wind farms are developed with a safe, cost effective, and stable transmission system to meet all the Polish Grid Code requirements.
Besides, Hitachi Energy will provide the entire telecom network, overall power control system, all high voltage equipment at the offshore substation and the onshore substation, along with turnkey delivery of the whole onshore substation.
The interface work at the grid connection in Slupsk will also be covered under the contract.
Polenergia management board president Michał Michalski said: “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.
“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 final investment decision for the Baltyk offshore wind projects is anticipated to be taken in 2024, with the first power expected to be transmitted to the grid in 2027.
Once operational, the offshore wind farms are expected to generate electricity enough to power over two million Polish households.
Equinor chief procurement officer Mette Ottøy said: “Earlier this year Equinor signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Hitachi Energy to work more closely together on future projects.
“This contract is the first since then, and we are very pleased to move into execution of our collaboration. We look forward to developing a local supply chain for electrical infrastructure to offshore wind farms along with Hitachi Energy in Poland.”
