Orlen moves forward with second offshore wind farm as Baltic East secures environmental permit

Orlen has taken a major step toward expanding Poland’s offshore wind capacity. The company’s Baltic East project has received its environmental decision from the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) in Gdańsk — a key milestone that enables the project to enter Poland’s first offshore wind auction this December.

Kamil Kusier executive editor 18.11.2025, 12:51 Reading time: 2 min

Aerial view of a sandy beach with a drilling rig at sunset — fot. ORLEN Neptun

In brief

The Baltic East offshore wind farm project of the ORLEN Group has received an environmental decision from the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Gdańsk. The farm, with a capacity of around 1 GW, will be built on an area of 110 square kilometres, about 22.5 kilometres from the coast, and will supply more than 1.25 million households. The decision allows participation in the first national offshore wind auction scheduled for December 2025, covering projects with a total capacity of up to 4 GW. ORLEN Neptun CEO Janusz Bil indicated that energy production is to start in 2032 and the share of Polish companies could reach 50 percent.

The planned wind farm will have an installed capacity of approximately 1 GW, enough to supply clean electricity to more than 1.25 million households.

Strategic momentum for Poland’s offshore sector

According to Orlen CEO Ireneusz Fąfara, the environmental permit not only positions Baltic East for participation in the upcoming offshore wind auction, but also strengthens opportunities for domestic suppliers. Orlen aims for up to 50% local content across the project’s entire lifecycle.

Janusz Bil, CEO of Orlen Neptun, highlights the rapid progression of the permitting process, enabled by the expertise of the project team. The company is advancing workstreams related to financing and construction permits, targeting 2032 for first power from Baltic East.

Strong involvement of Polish industry

Dozens of Polish companies have already contributed to early-stage development, including:

seven firms contracted for installation terminal services,
over a dozen advisory and engineering companies,
a consortium of three Polish entities responsible for seismic and geotechnical surveys.

Comprehensive environmental studies confirmed that Baltic East’s technical and operational solutions effectively mitigate impacts on the marine environment and avian migration routes, including designated flight corridors and noise-reduction measures.

Path to auction and construction

The environmental permit is a prerequisite for Baltic East’s participation in Poland’s first offshore wind auction, which will award up to 4 GW of capacity under a Contracts for Difference (CfD) support scheme.

The project already holds:

a location permit (PSZW),
preliminary grid connection conditions,
a permit for cable laying in internal and territorial waters (PUUK),
and is advancing detailed design documentation required for construction permits.

Project location and sector impact

Baltic East will be built on a 110 km² site located 22.5 km off the Baltic Sea coast, adjacent to the Baltic Power wind farm, which Orlen and Northland Power plan to commission next year.

Baltic East is one of six offshore concessions held by Orlen on the Polish Baltic. Parallel development continues on Baltic West, covering four concessions near the Odra Bank. According to the company’s long-term strategy, full build-out of all offshore projects is expected by 2040.

Source: Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier