On 17 December, Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office (Urząd Regulacji Energetyki, URE) conducted the country’s first competitive tender for offshore wind, with up to 4 GW of capacity on offer. Bidding was carried out online from 8:00 to 18:00 (CET).
Under the Polish support scheme, successful projects are awarded a two-sided CfD (Contract for Difference) with a term of 25 years.
In June, the regulator confirmed it would hold the tender in December and set a 4 GW cap on the overall installed capacity that could receive support. On 9 December, the President of the Energy Regulatory Office published a revised auction notice, keeping 17 December as the launch date.
Earlier this year, Equinor and Polenergia submitted a pre-qualification application to URE for their Bałtyk 1 offshore wind project so it could participate in the first offshore tender in Poland. The project is planned at up to 1,560 MW of capacity.
In November, PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) announced that it had obtained environmental approval for its 900 MW Baltica 1 offshore wind project, enabling the scheme to enter the auction process.
Orlen Group has also secured an environmental permit for its 1 GW Baltic East offshore wind farm. The developer said last month that this milestone is an important step toward allowing the project to compete in Poland’s first offshore wind auction.
