Portal partners
PKN Orlen began the main stage of geotechnical research on the Baltic bottom
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
PKN Orlen began the main stage of geotechnical research of the Baltic Sea bottom in the area of the planned wind farm and the connection route, informed the company.
PKN Orlen began the main stage of geotechnical research of the Baltic Sea bottom in the area of the planned wind farm and the connection route, informed the company.
The research will involve 12 specialised units, and the completion of the research, planned later this year, will allow for the development of a detailed plan for planting foundations for turbines and offshore power stations and their connections to land transmission infrastructure.
"We want to start building a offshore wind farm in 2023. This is a pioneering investment that will not only change the face of the Polish electricity system, but will also allow us to gain new competences in the area of large scale zero-emission projects. Geotechnical research is an extremely complex process involving dozens of high-end specialists and technologically advanced equipment. Their finalization will allow for the development of a detailed technical project, optimal for the project's timetable and economics," said President Daniel Obietek, quoted in the Communication.
The beginning of geotechnical research, depending on weather conditions, will take about 12 to about 16 weeks. At that time, a total of 12 specialised units will come out of several ports, which will operate in both the offshore wind farm area and on the route of the offshore part of the electricity connection. Over 130 km2 of the farm area will be equipped with drilling units up to a depth of up to tens of meters. A similar range of work, adapted to the specificity of the investment, will be carried out on a more than 30 km seaway cable connection route, which brings energy from the sea to the reception station on land, was informed.
On the basis of the data collected during drilling and probes and their subsequent analysis, designers will prepare, among others, the final plan for the deployment of wind turbines, their supporting structures or the deployment of cables on the farm and the route of power output. The bottom of the farm on behalf of Baltic Power is conducted by British company Gardner Limited. Polish company Mewo is responsible for measurements on the route, and the certification process of the final offshore wind farm project according to international standards IECRE will be carried out by DNV, mentioned.
The construction of a offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea is one of the key development projects of PKN Orlen which are part of the company's strategy, which includes investments in low- and zero-emission production sources. The company works on the development of offshore wind power through Baltic Power, which has a concession to build wind farms with a maximum combined capacity of 1.2 GW. The project is implemented in partnership with the Canadian company Northland Power, which took 49% of the project's shares.
Source: 
