Hitachi Energy wins major orders to connect two offshore wind farms with Poland’s power grid
(WO) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, won two major orders from Equinor and Polenergia to provide an AC grid connection and power quality solution for their jointly owned MFW Baltyk II and MFW Baltyk III offshore wind farms, with a combined generating capacity of 1,440 megawatts in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea.
Hitachi Energy will provide each of the two wind farms with an offshore grid connection that will receive the power from the wind turbines and transfer it to shore. They will also provide a mainland grid connection that will transmit the power into the national transmission system.
In addition, Hitachi Energy will provide a STATCOM power quality solution to ensure that power flows reliably and stably at optimal capacity and at all times, despite the often high variability of wind power.
MFW Baltyk II and MFW Baltyk III are pending a final investment decision in 2024. The offshore wind farms are scheduled to deliver first power in 2027.
They will be one of the first offshore wind farms in Poland and part of the country’s ambitious program to develop its offshore wind potential and increase the use of renewables in its electricity mix, which historically is dominated by coal. The government aims to have around 11 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity either operational or under development by 20271.
Hitachi Energy was selected in a competitive procurement process on the strength of its front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies and optimized solutions. Hitachi also has a long track record of project execution excellence.
Its close working relationships over many decades with Equinor and PSE (Poland’s transmission system operator) and, most recently, Polenergia also contributed to the selection.
“Integrating large-scale renewable energy sources with the power grid is a key enabler of the energy transition and a field in which we have been a pioneer for decades,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “Our grid connection technologies feature in offshore wind farms worldwide, and our power quality solutions resolve bottlenecks and keep the voltage stable and the energy flowing in power systems globally.”
These project awards further underscore Hitachi Energy’s position as a global leader in the offshore wind market and the partner of choice for wind farm developers. Hitachi combines solid experience with grid technologies to help make the world’s energy system more sustainable, flexible and secure by enabling new solutions and business models to be deployed at scale and with speed.
The announcement follows a recent global agreement between Hitachi Energy and Equinor to collaborate on high-voltage transmission systems (AC and DC) to connect Equinor offshore wind farms and production facilities to mainland power grids worldwide.
