Thialf installs Bałtyk 2 and 3 foundations for 1,440 MW Baltic wind push

Heerema Marine Contractors has completed the Bałtyk 2 and 3 foundations campaign in the Baltic Sea, setting the physical stage for what will be a combined 1,440 MW of offshore wind capacity serving Poland’s grid, provided the turbines, cables and grid connections follow without the delays that have plagued comparable projects elsewhere in Europe.

The installation work, carried out on behalf of the Equinor-Polenergia joint venture, covered 100 monopiles, 100 transition pieces and two offshore substation jackets, all delivered within a four-month campaign. According to Marine Poland, the monopiles are up to approximately 70 metres long, while each transition piece stands around 17 metres high and weighs approximately 400 tonnes. Those are not lightweight components to handle in Baltic conditions, and completing the full run on schedule is a genuine logistical achievement worth acknowledging.

Scale of the Bałtyk 2 and 3 foundations campaign

The semi-submersible crane vessel Thialf led the offshore work, supported by a fleet of approximately 35 vessels covering transportation, marine coordination, noise mitigation, crew transfer, grouting, bolting and other offshore activities. At peak tempo, Heerema managed and operated approximately 15 vessels simultaneously across the project area. The campaign drew on multiple fabrication yards, ports, marine contractors and offshore work fronts, a supply-chain complexity that is easy to gloss over in a press release but that routinely produces schedule slippage in practice. That it did not here matters.

The 1,440 MW combined capacity figure, reported by Baltic Wind, puts the two projects among the larger Baltic offshore wind developments currently in construction. Poland’s offshore ambitions have been hampered by slower-than-hoped permitting and grid development, so a foundation campaign completed to schedule is, at minimum, a clean data point in a programme that has needed them.

Financing in place as construction progresses

The financial architecture underpinning Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 is substantial. Equinor confirmed that two project financing packages of over EUR 3 billion each, including ancillary facilities, have been secured for the two projects. That level of project finance is a reasonable proxy for lender confidence in the revenue stack, though it also means the joint venture is carrying significant debt-service obligations that make on-time, on-budget delivery more than a reputational matter.

Heerema chief executive Marcel de Nooijer framed the campaign in energy-security terms. ‘The completion of this offshore installation campaign is about more than delivering 100 foundations and two offshore substations,’ he said. ‘Bałtyk 2 and 3 will become an important source of renewable electricity for Poland, supporting both the country’s energy transition and long-term energy security. We are proud to have contributed our offshore expertise to a project of this scale.’

The energy-security framing is not merely rhetorical. Poland remains heavily reliant on coal for power generation, and domestic offshore wind capacity represents one of the more credible pathways toward reducing that dependence without resorting to carbon offsets of dubious additionality. Whether these projects ultimately move the needle on Poland’s Scope 1 power-sector emissions will depend on how quickly the turbines are commissioned and connected, and on grid capacity that is still being developed.

What remains before first power

The Bałtyk 2 and 3 foundations work is complete, but Heerema’s involvement is not. The company is scheduled to return to the Baltic this winter to install the Bałtyk 2 offshore substation, with the Bałtyk 3 offshore substation following in summer 2027. Those installation windows are weather-sensitive, and winter North Sea and Baltic campaigns have a habit of running longer than projected. The two substation installations represent the final major structural milestone before turbine erection and cable work can complete the operational picture.

For now, the Bałtyk 2 and 3 foundations programme stands as one of the larger completed offshore foundation campaigns in the Baltic to date. The Bałtyk 3 substation installation in summer 2027 is the next dated milestone on the critical path.