Baltic East moves forward. Environmental decision secured.

- Securing the environmental decision in such a short timeframe is a major success, made possible by the expertise and commitment of the ORLEN Neptun team. This is an important milestone that allows us to continue the investment process and prepare Baltic East to take part in Poland’s first offshore wind auction. In parallel, we are working to secure financing and obtain all the necessary permits so that, in 2032, energy from our wind farm can be fed into the Polish grid. This is an ambitious project that will strengthen Poland’s position in offshore wind and open new opportunities for domestic suppliers - said Janusz Bil, President of the Management Board of ORLEN Neptun.

Obtaining the environmental decision for Baltic East is a milestone towards participating in Poland’s first offshore wind auction, scheduled for December. Under the auction, the Energy Regulatory Office (URE) will select offshore wind farm projects with a total capacity of up to 4 GW, which will receive support in the form of contracts for difference (CfD). Participation in the auction marks a key stage for Baltic East, which is now entering a decisive phase of development – from finalising the permitting to taking the final investment decision and commencing construction work. The project envisages extensive use of local content by engaging Polish companies in component supplies as well as logistics and service provision, which will strengthen the domestic value chain and, ultimately, the wider economy.

The RDOŚ decision covers turbines, foundations, offshore substations, and inter-array cables. A decision for the grid connection infrastructure is being sought through a separate environmental procedure. Baltic East already holds a permit to erect or use artificial islands, structures and equipment (PSZW), preliminary conditions for connection to the transmission grid, and a permit to lay and maintain cables in the areas of internal marine waters and territorial sea (PUUK). Design and engineering work has also begun to prepare the documentation required for building permit applications.

The environmental decision was preceded by comprehensive studies and analyses, which confirmed that the technical and organizational solutions proposed for Baltic East will effectively minimize the project’s environmental impact, meaning that the farm will not have significant adverse effects on the environment. Among other measures, a corridor allowing migratory birds to fly across the offshore wind farm area was created, and appropriate solutions were included to protect the marine environment from underwater noise. The preparation of the report forming the basis for assessing the project’s environmental impact and defining the conditions set out in the decision was preceded by years of research and analyses, carried out mainly by Polish companies. These included studies of fauna and flora, monitoring of migration routes, assessment of environmental parameters, underwater noise modelling, analyses of water and sediment quality, as well as assessments of the farm’s impact on the Natura 2000 area and the cumulative impact of all wind projects in the region.

Baltic East is the second offshore wind farm being developed by the ORLEN Group. The project will be built across a 110 km² site around 22.5 km off the Baltic Sea coast, adjacent to the Baltic Power wind farm currently under construction.

Continued offshore wind development is fundamental to Poland's energy security and the provision of affordable clean electricity. Baltic East is being developed under one of the ORLEN Group's six offshore licences. First power generation is expected next year from the Baltic Power wind farm, which is being constructed jointly with Northland Power. The Baltic West project is also advancing in parallel, covering four licences in the Odra Bank area. All projects are being prepared to participate in Poland's support scheme for offshore wind farms, with the first stage being the December auction. Full delivery of all projects is planned by 2040.