PGE and Ørsted are jointly applying for the area 45.E.1 on the Słupsk shoal. The 17-square-kilometer area is directly adjacent to the site of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, the largest wind farm to be built in Polish waters of the Baltic Sea and one of the largest in the world. The application to the Ministry of Infrastructure was submitted on 23 February 2022.

- The location we are seeking complements the area earmarked for the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, the largest such power plant being built in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. In the next five years, we will commission Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 stages with a total capacity of approximately 2.5 GW. Obtaining the permit for the area of approx. 17 sq. km will enable us to achieve synergy effects with the Baltica 2 project and guarantee that we will maximize the use of this part of the Baltic and ultimately ensure an increase in the production of green electricity - says Wojciech Dąbrowski, president of the management board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.

- Together with PGE, we are applying for an area that is relatively small but well located to add to the already developed 320 sq. km area where we will build the 2.5 GW Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, which will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in our global portfolio - says Rasmus Errboe, Ørsted's vice president for Continental Europe.

The area covered by the joint application of PGE and Ørsted is located about 32 km offshore.

The commissioning of the first stage of the Baltica 3 project, with a capacity of about 1045 MW, is planned for 2026. The next stage, Baltica 2 with a capacity of about 1,500 MW is to be commissioned by 2027. These investments will contribute to acceleration of the Polish energy transition. Both Baltica offshore wind farm stages have obtained location decisions, environmental permits, transmission grid connection agreements with the operator and have been granted the right to a Contract for Difference (CfD).

In 2022, the project partners expect to receive the environmental decision for the onshore transmission part, and will also work on obtaining construction permits, which will bring the project closer to the final investment decision.

In the Polish part of the Baltic Sea, there are currently 11 areas where PGE and Ørsted and other entities are applying for permits to erect and use artificial islands (PISW). They range from the smallest area of 17 square kilometres, which PGE and Ørsted are currently applying for in order to develop the Baltica offshore wind farm, to the largest areas covering up to 150 square kilometres.