RWE secures long-term lease for new offshore wind maintenance base at Poland's Ustka Port

German energy company RWE and the Ustka Port Authority of Poland have entered into a land lease agreement for the construction of an operations and maintenance base for the F.E.W. Baltic II offshore wind farm.

RWE said the base is one of the key elements in the construction and subsequent operation of the planned wind farm, and will have a service life of at least 30 years.

Lukas Prietz, Project Director of the F.E.W. Baltic II wind farm at RWE, said the administration and control building will meet the international sustainability certification standard BREEAM, and will be constructed at the port after 2025. RWE plans to use the service base for the monitoring and day-to-day operation of the wind farm.

RWE will locate the operations and maintenance facilities for the F.E.W. Baltic II project at the Western Quay at the Port of Ustka.

The company said the main rationale for choosing Ustka is its extensive port infrastructure, the possibility of crewboat repair and refuelling vessels for regular operations and social facilities for employees.

RWE said another key factor in the choice of this site was the distance from the port to the F.E.W. Baltic II wind farm. The 350MW project by RWE is located some 50 kilometres offshore in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea, north of the town of Ustka, and covers an area of approximately 41 square kilometres.

Implementation of the project is on schedule with commercial operation beginning at the end of the current decade. The F.E.W. Baltic II wind farm itself is at an advanced stage of preparation, pending further decisions and administrative approvals.