Poland, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden signed the "Baltic Declaration for Offshore Wind Energy,” which seeks to speed up the development of wind power facilities in this part of Europe.
Poland’s Climate Minister Michał Kurtyka said that the signing, in the northwestern Polish city of Szczecin on Wednesday, marked “a great day for the energy sector” and a milestone for future cooperation among Baltic Sea nations.
Earlier in the day Kurtyka told reporters that the Polish-led initiative, which was also supported by the European Commission, aimed to strengthen international cooperation and enable countries in the region to “take advantage of the full potential of the Baltic Sea.”
"I would like to see Poland take advantage of this opportunity to develop a completely new industry," he said.
He added that offshore wind energy, alongside nuclear power, was one of two “strategic and long-term” choices for Poland as it seeks to develop its renewable energy sector and achieve climate neutrality in the future.
Polish Climate Minister Michał Kurtyka speaks to reporters ahead of the Pomeranian Offshore Wind Conference in Szczecin, northwestern Poland, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Photo: PAP/Marcin Bielecki
He told the Pomeranian Offshore Wind Conference that Poland was eyeing projects worth some PLN 120 billion (EUR 26.4 billion, USD 31 billion) over the next 20 years to generate 8,000 to 11,000 megawatts of installed capacity on its Baltic coast, the IAR news agency reported.
This is a “huge investment” and a “driving force” for European economies as they struggle to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurtyka said, as quoted by the news agency.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, PAP
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