Northland Power Advances Baltic Power Project with Offshore Substation Installation

Northland Power Inc. has announced the safe and successful installation of both offshore substations for the 1.1 GW Baltic Power project, lies 23 km off the coast in the vicinity of Łeba and Choczewo, covering an area of more than 130 km², roughly the size of Gdynia developed in partnership with ORLEN in the Baltic Sea.

The two offshore substations – OSS West and OSS East – have been installed approximately 20 km off the coast, near Choczewo. They will receive electricity generated by 76 turbines, each rated at 15 MW, and export it via subsea export cables to the onshore substation in the Choczewo municipality. Each offshore substation features two transformers, 230 kV and 66 kV switchgear, a diesel generator, control and monitoring systems, and a range of auxiliary systems enabling safe, remote operation. Built at Polish shipyards in Gdańsk and Gdynia, the substations highlight Baltic Power’s contribution to Poland’s expanding offshore wind supply chain. The installation was completed using the heavy-lift vessel Gulliver, supported by more than 20 additional vessels conducting parallel installation, maintenance and pre-commissioning activities. Once operational, Baltic Power will become Poland’s first offshore wind farm, capable of generating approximately 4 TWh of clean electricity annually – enough to power more than 1.5 million households. 

Each 1,300-tonne topside was initially shipped to Denmark for complete outfitting, increasing the weight of each unit to approximately 2,500 tonnes. Both offshore substations have been equipped with specialized cranes produced by the Polish manufacturer Protea. Polish contractors are serving as the lead firms for the project’s installation and construction activities. Current projections indicate that the local content share of the project will reach at least 21% over the entire lifecycle of the wind farm — from design and construction to decommissioning. Completion of the offshore wind farm is scheduled for 2026, after which a comprehensive programme of testing, certification and permitting will commence. Baltic Power will be the first offshore wind farm in Polish waters and will provide around 1.2 GW of capacity to the national power system. Its 76 turbines will be capable of delivering up to 4 TWh of sustainable electricity – equivalent to about 3% of national demand – and meeting the energy needs of more than 1.5 million households.