RWE said it had acquired the FEW Baltic II project from Baltic Trade & Invest, plus three additional early-stage development sites nearby in the Slupsk Bank area of the Polish Baltic Sea. The German firm said it had carried out "extensive work" on all the projects and could begin construction of its first Polish offshore capacity as early as 2023. "Poland is a very attractive emerging market for offshore wind, and one with the best untapped potential in Europe," said Sven Utermöhlen, COO Europe, offshore and new markets at RWE Renewables. "RWE is keen to enter it early and leverage our global offshore capabilities and strong local presence, in order to help building a strong offshore wind sector in Poland." RWE acquired a share of the recently completed 385MW Arkona offshore wind site in the German Baltic Sea in its merger deal with E.on. The experience will help feed in to the Polish projects, the company said. RWE’s announcement comes days after Ørsted said it is discussing options with Polish state-controlled utility Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) about buying a 50% stake in two special purpose vehicles (SPV) developing offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea with a combined capacity of up to 2.5GW. Equinor is also developing three wind farms with a combined capacity of 2.76GW with Polish utility Polenergia.
RWE Renewables has purchased a four-project offshore wind portfolio in Poland, with a combined capacity of more than 1.5 GW, becoming the latest energy major to ready itself for growth in the country's emerging sector. RWE acquired the 350 MW FEW Baltic II project from Baltic Trade & Invest along with three other early-stage developments in the Polish Baltic Sea. Claiming Poland offers some of the best untapped potential for offshore wind in Europe, the company has said it could begin construction on its first project by 2023. It joins Orsted and Equinor in targeting Poland's offshore wind market.