Portuguese 
Van Oord completed the monopile installation campaign for Baltica 2 months ahead of the initially planned schedule: 107 structures will support 14 MW turbines, while four others will sustain offshore substations approximately 40 km from the Polish coast.
The installation of the 111 foundations for the Baltica 2 wind farm has been completed in the Baltic Sea, paving the way for a new phase of the largest offshore wind farm currently under construction in Poland. There are 107 monopiles designated for turbines and four for offshore substations, in a 1.5 GW project expected to provide electricity equivalent to the consumption of approximately 2.5 million households, according to information released by Van Oord and confirmed by developers PGE and Ørsted.
The size of the structures helps to reveal the scale of the project.
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The monopiles reach approximately 100 meters in length, have diameters ranging from 7.5 to 10.5 meters, and weigh about 1,900 tons, according to the information released by the team behind Baltica 2.
Additionally, each structure has a specific geometry designed for the seabed point where it was installed.
Now, with the foundations completed, the project can move forward to other offshore phases before it begins generating electricity.
111 Foundations of the Baltica 2 Wind Farm Were Completed Ahead of the Initially Planned Schedule
When PGE and Ørsted announced the start of the offshore campaign in May 2026, the initial forecast indicated that the installation of the monopiles would continue until the fourth quarter of 2026.
However, the completion occurred in August.
Thus, the installation of the 111 structures was finished months before the originally reported deadline for the campaign.
The work was divided quite specifically. Out of the 111 foundations, 107 will house wind turbines, while the remaining four will support offshore substations.
These substations will have an essential function: to be part of the infrastructure responsible for collecting and directing the electricity produced by the turbines.
Consequently, the completed monopiles do not merely support wind generators. A small portion of them also forms the physical base of the electrical infrastructure installed at sea.
Monopiles Reach 100 Meters in Length and Weigh Around 1,900 Tons
The installation required moving components of unusual dimensions.
According to PGE and Ørsted, the monopiles for Baltica 2 are up to 100 meters long.
The diameter varies between 7.5 and 10.5 meters.
Furthermore, each structure weighs approximately 1,900 tons.
For visual comparison, 100 meters is roughly equivalent to the height of a multi-story building, although the exact equivalence depends on the height of each floor.
In Baltica 2, however, these structures are not simply resting on the seabed.
They function as enormous steel foundations designed to support equipment exposed for decades to waves, winds, and other offshore environmental conditions.
Each monopile also has a geometry tailored to its specific location.
Therefore, installing 111 units did not simply mean repeating the same operation exactly 111 times.
Svanen and Aeolus Moved Giant Structures in the Baltic Sea
Van Oord mobilized specialized vessels to carry out the campaign.
Among them were the Svanen, a heavy-lift installation vessel, and the Aeolus, a vessel specialized in offshore work.
The company had already prepared the Svanen to handle the new generation of larger structures required by offshore wind farms.
The vessel received a major upgrade to its crane specifically to enhance its installation capacity.
This evolution of marine equipment accompanies the physical growth of wind projects.
Recently, another European company launched a giant 215-meter vessel capable of transporting 28,000 tons of cables and working at depths of up to 4,000 meters, demonstrating how specialized vessels also grow to keep pace with the scale of offshore energy infrastructure.
However, in Baltica 2, the challenge lay in the foundations.
14 MW Turbines Will Be Positioned on 107 of the Foundations
The size of the monopiles is directly related to the equipment they will need to support.
Baltica 2 will utilize turbines with a capacity of 14 MW each.
There will be 107 wind turbines.
Consequently, the total nominal power of the turbines reaches approximately 1,498 MW, or nearly the 1.5 GW announced for the park.
This calculation results from multiplying 107 units by 14 MW and serves merely to illustrate the relationship between the quantity and power of the wind turbines.
The turbines, however, still need to advance through the installation and integration stages before the park can operate fully.
Thus, completing the foundations does not mean that the 1.5 GW is already generating electricity.
It signifies that one of the most complex stages of offshore construction has been completed.
Foundations Combine Monopile and Transition Piece in a Single Structure
The project uses a configuration known as extended monopile.
Typically, certain offshore foundations use a monopile and a separate transition piece.
In Baltica 2, however, the solution integrates these components.
According to Van Oord, this reduces the number of lifting operations needed at sea and can make the installation process faster and safer.
The difference may seem small when viewed only in the design of the structure.
However, in a campaign with 111 foundations, reducing offshore steps can have a significant impact on logistics and execution.
Work at sea relies on specialized vessels, availability of equipment, and suitable weather conditions.
Therefore, eliminating additional operations can simplify a chain that already involves pieces weighing approximately 1,900 tons.
Monopiles Travelled from the Port of Rønne to the Installation Site
Before reaching the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the foundations underwent an international logistics operation.
The port of Rønne, located on the Danish island of Bornholm, served as the base for the campaign.
From there, the monopiles were transported to the offshore construction site.
Subsequently, installation vessels positioned each structure at the pre-defined location.
The operation required coordination between manufacturing, storage, transportation, vessels, and weather conditions.
Moreover, each foundation needed to arrive at the correct location according to the geometry prepared for that position.
Projects of this scale help explain why ports and specialized vessels have become strategic components of Europe’s offshore wind expansion.
Park is approximately 40 km from the Polish coast
Baltica 2 is located in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea, about 40 kilometers from the coast.
This distance poses different challenges compared to those found in onshore wind farms.
People, equipment, and components need to reach the site by vessels.
At the same time, the electricity generated at sea must be collected, transformed, and transported to the onshore infrastructure.
Therefore, in addition to the 107 foundations for the turbines, the project includes four monopiles designated for offshore substations.
The scale of the construction also follows other renewable generation experiences in the maritime environment. In China, for example, a 100 kW offshore solar platform made with bamboo composite began testing a different approach to utilize marine surfaces for electricity production.
In the Baltic, however, the technology being used is on a much larger scale.
Baltica 2 will have 1.5 GW and will be the largest offshore wind farm in Poland
When completed, Baltica 2 will have a capacity of approximately 1.5 GW.
PGE and Ørsted describe the venture as the largest offshore wind farm in Poland.
According to the developers, this capacity will be sufficient to provide electricity equivalent to the consumption of approximately 2.5 million Polish households.
This figure represents an estimate of energy equivalence presented by the companies, not a guarantee of exclusive and permanent supply to exactly 2.5 million properties.
Still, it helps to assess the scale of the venture.
The capacity of 1.5 GW also makes the project an important piece in the expansion of renewable generation in Poland.
Historically, the country’s electricity matrix has a strong presence of fossil fuels, especially coal.
In this context, adding gigawatts of wind capacity in the Baltic Sea increases the diversity of sources available to the electrical system.
Installation of foundations began in May and ended in August
Another notable number in the campaign is the timeline.
PGE and Ørsted announced the installation of the first foundations in May 2026.
At that time, the schedule anticipated that the work would continue until the fourth quarter.
On August 21, however, the companies announced the completion of all 111 structures.
Therefore, the main foundation campaign occurred over just a few months.
The speed does not eliminate the logistical complexity.
According to project leaders, installing each monopile required coordinating production, transportation, site preparation, availability of specialized vessels, and suitable weather conditions.
Before the start of the campaign, teams also assessed various scenarios that could interfere with project execution.
The result was the successful completion of this phase within the project’s schedule and ahead of the initial final window announced for the works.
Rock Protection Prepares Seafloor Around Structures
Installation does not end when the monopile enters the seabed.
Another vessel from Van Oord, the Nordnes, is involved in the precise placement of rocks at the foundation locations.
This material helps protect against erosion processes on the seabed around the structures.
In offshore engineering, marine currents can remove sediments near the foundations over time.
Consequently, protecting specific areas around the structures helps preserve the conditions outlined in the project.
The operation demonstrates how an offshore turbine depends on much more than the visible generator above the water.
There are foundations, underwater protection, cables, substations, vessels, and land infrastructure all working as parts of a single system.
Offshore Energy Requires Increasingly Larger and More Specialized Structures
The size of the monopiles for Baltica 2 follows a clear trend in the industry.
Larger turbines can concentrate more capacity at each park location. However, they also require foundations, cranes, and vessels capable of handling larger components.
That is precisely why Van Oord upgraded the Svanen.
The crane extension increased the vessel’s capacity to install foundations for the new generation of 14 MW turbines.
At the same time, manufacturers and builders are experimenting with new materials in other parts of energy infrastructure. A 11,000-square-meter building constructed with engineered wood, for instance, shows how large-scale projects are also beginning to replace traditional solutions with different materials and methods on land.
In the offshore environment, however, steel, large vessels, and heavy-lift operations remain essential to support turbines exposed to ocean conditions.
Completion of 111 Foundations Paves the Way for Next Phase of Baltica 2
The August milestone marks the end of one phase, but it does not conclude the wind farm.
The 111 foundations are installed.
Now, the project needs to continue progressing with turbines, substations, cables, and other components necessary to transform the offshore structures into an operational power plant.
This distinction is important.
Baltica 2 should not yet be described as a 1.5 GW wind farm in full operation. This is its expected capacity when the project is completed.
What has already been completed is one of the most impressive physical phases of construction.
There are 111 monopiles, including 107 foundations for 14 MW turbines and four for substations, with structures reaching 100 meters in length and about 1,900 tons.
After months of operations with specialized vessels in the Baltic Sea, these enormous steel pieces are now in place.
The next transformation will be even more visible: 107 turbines will be installed on them, forming Poland’s 1.5 GW offshore wind farm.
Do you believe that offshore wind farms will become common in other countries, or will the complexity and cost of maritime construction still limit this expansion?
