Baltica 2 Nears Construction - Seabed Clearance Operations Underway in the Baltic Sea

Ørsted has launched preparatory offshore activities for the Baltica 2 offshore wind farm – the largest project of its kind in Polish waters. The ongoing seabed clearance, including the relocation of boulders and other subsea obstacles, marks a critical milestone ahead of the construction phase.

Kamil Kusier executive editor 11.07.2025, 07:17 Reading time: 2 min

Offshore vessel Olympic Electra with a crane on deck sailing on open sea — fot. PGE Baltica

In brief

Ørsted has begun relocating boulders and seabed obstacles from the Baltic seabed in the area of the Baltica 2 offshore wind farm, developed jointly with PGE. The work is being carried out by the vessel Olympic Electra, fitted with a boulder removal kit supplied by Utility ROV Services, capable of lifting objects up to 3 metres in diameter. The operation will last until early 2026 and will cover the removal of around 10 thousand obstacles, enabling foundation installation in 2026 and cable laying in 2027. Baltica 2 will reach a capacity of up to 1.5 GW and will supply around 2.5 million Polish households.

Currently operating in the designated area is the Olympic Electra vessel, which is carrying out boulder relocation along both turbine foundation zones and future export cable routes. The seabed preparation campaign is scheduled to continue through early 2026.

The vessel is equipped with a specialized boulder picking spread supplied by Utility ROV Services (UTROV). This advanced tool enables safe relocation of objects up to 3 meters in diameter, such as boulders, steel wires, lost fishing nets, and timber debris.

– These preparatory works at sea are the final stage before we move into full-scale construction. Boulder relocation directly impacts the safety and efficiency of subsequent phases – including foundation installation and deployment of subsea infrastructure – said Ulrik Lange, Vice President and Project Director of Baltica 2 at Ørsted. – As the offshore EPC lead and a company with over 30 offshore wind farms built worldwide, we’re excited to enter this advanced stage in the Baltic Sea.

According to PGE Baltica’s CEO Bartosz Fedurek, around 10,000 subsea objects are to be relocated during the campaign.

– Baltica 2 is now literally moving offshore. The clearance work paves the way for the installation of foundations and subsea components scheduled for 2026 and 2027. The project involves dozens of crew members, as well as supervision teams and specialists who have been involved since the seabed survey phase – Fedurek noted.

Once completed, the cleared seabed will allow for the deployment of scour protection systems and turbine foundations in 2026, followed by internal array cables and export cables in 2027.

The contract with UTROV was signed in 2025. The boulder relocation technology has already been successfully used in similar offshore operations across Europe.

Baltica 2 – A Milestone for Poland’s Offshore Wind Industry

Baltica 2, jointly developed by Ørsted and PGE, is poised to become Poland’s largest offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of up to 1.5 GW. Scheduled for commissioning in 2027, it will be capable of supplying green electricity to approximately 2.5 million Polish households. The project represents a major leap in the country’s transition toward renewable energy and sustainable power generation.

Source: Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier