Heerema completes 100 Bałtyk wind foundations ahead of project schedule

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Heerema Marine Contractors has completed installation of 100 wind turbine foundations and two offshore substation jackets for the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms in Poland, closing a four month heavy lift campaign in the Baltic Sea.

The work was carried out for the Equinor and Polenergia joint venture using Heerema’s semi submersible crane vessel Thialf, supported by a fleet of around 35 vessels involved in transport, marine services and offshore construction.

The milestone moves the combined 1.44 GW projects closer to turbine installation and first power, which is scheduled for 2027. The wind farms are expected to be fully operational in 2028

Heerema installed 100 monopiles and 100 transition pieces, along with jackets for the two offshore substations.

The campaign began in May. By late May, Heerema had installed the first 23 monopiles and transition pieces, with each monopile measuring approximately 50 to 70 metres long. The project passed the halfway point in early July.

The final monopiles manufactured by Sif were loaded out in August, clearing the way for completion of the foundation installation programme.

Thialf handled the main lifts using its two 7,100 tonne cranes. Monopiles were transferred from heavy transport vessels, lifted from horizontal to vertical and positioned on the seabed before pile driving. Transition pieces approximately 17 metres high were then installed on top.

The offshore lifts were only one part of a much larger marine logistics operation.

Around 35 support vessels were involved during the four month campaign, with approximately 15 vessels operating simultaneously at peak activity. Their work covered foundation transportation, marine coordination, noise mitigation, crew transfer, grouting and bolting.

The scale illustrates the logistics challenge behind installing 100 foundations in a relatively short offshore season. A heavy lift vessel can only maintain its installation sequence if foundations, crews, equipment and supporting vessels arrive in the right order and within suitable weather windows.

Ports in Poland and elsewhere in Europe supported the operation, while the project base at Łeba served as an important hub for offshore construction and marine coordination.

Heerema’s work on Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 is not finished.

The contractor is scheduled to return to the Baltic Sea this winter to install the Bałtyk 2 offshore substation, followed by installation of the Bałtyk 3 offshore substation in summer 2027.

Heerema Chief Executive Marcel de Nooijer said completion of the campaign represented more than the delivery of the foundations and offshore substation structures, pointing to the projects’ role in Poland’s energy transition and energy security.

Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 will together comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa 14.4 MW turbines located around 22 to 37 kilometres off Poland’s Baltic coast. Once fully operational, the projects are expected to generate enough renewable electricity to meet the needs of about two million Polish households.

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