Orlen starts wind measurements for the Baltic West offshore wind farm of about 4 GW

Orlen Neptun, the Orlen group company developing offshore wind projects, announced on 9 November the start of a certified wind measurement campaign at the site of the future Baltic West wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The measurements are carried out by Partrac, a metocean and seabed survey consultancy that is part of the Venterra group.

What is being installed. According to Orlen Neptun's announcement, two V-LiDAR buoys, floating systems that measure wind with lasers, will be moored in the Baltic West area. The campaign has also been extended to the neighbouring Baltic East project, where a third buoy will operate. Gramwzielone.pl notes that the system can stay at sea for up to 20 months and transmits data in real time via satellite.

Why it matters. The data is used for turbine siting, yield estimates and, according to Gazeta Morska, the financial model needed for the auction bid and for lenders. "It will allow us to base further decisions on real, verified measurement data," said Marcin Sowiński, Baltic West project director.

The figures. Baltic West comprises four areas on Ławica Odrzańska (the Oder Bank) with a planned total capacity of about 4 GW, enough, according to the company, for more than five million households. Baltic East has 900 MW and is in the design phase. First power from Baltic West is expected in 2034 or later.

What comes next. The project aims to enter the 2027 auction, the second phase of offshore wind support; a winning bid would bring a two-sided contract for difference for up to 25 years. Orlen's first offshore farm, Baltic Power (1.14 GW), already has all 76 turbines installed, according to Gramwzielone.pl.

Real-time data for the country is on the country page