Poland opens $304 million offshore wind terminal at Gdansk

By Elena Vasquez

Poland has opened a PLN 1.2 billion ($304 million) offshore wind installation terminal at the Port of Gdansk, adding dedicated maritime infrastructure for handling and assembling large turbine components. The T5 facility gives Gdansk a purpose-built staging and assembly base for offshore wind equipment.

T5 forms part of Baltic Hub and was developed by Istrana, a company owned 85% by the Polish Development Fund and 15% by Baltic Hub. The ownership structure places the Polish Development Fund in the majority position while giving Baltic Hub a direct financial stake in the terminal.

What capacity does T5 add?

Istrana reclaimed more than 21 hectares, or more than 210,000 square metres, and constructed approximately 900 metres of quay with a technical depth of 17.5 metres. Together, those works create a dedicated installation base with storage and handling areas for oversized blades, towers and nacelles.

For project shippers and freight forwarders, this creates a port interface organized around offshore wind cargo. The approximately 900-metre quay, 17.5-metre technical depth and dedicated component areas support the port-side sequence for receiving, staging and preparing turbine sections before offshore installation.

Reinforced sections of the terminal can support loads of up to 40 tonnes per square metre. That limit gives shippers, carriers and marine contractors a measurable planning parameter for moving heavy components across the facility. It also makes T5's operating proposition specific to handling and assembling the turbine components named in the project.

T5 can accommodate two offshore wind installation vessels simultaneously. For installation carriers, that creates the option for two vessels to use the same base at once; for developers and contractors, it links component staging with offshore installation. No vessel schedule or cargo forecast accompanies the capacity figures, leaving utilization dependent on the pace of Baltic Sea wind projects.

The terminal's storage and handling areas are designed for blades, towers and nacelles, the three component categories named in the project. For forwarders, that gives one port interface for the handling and assembly functions associated with turbine installation.

How was T5 built and funded?

More than PLN 900 million of the PLN 1.2 billion investment was provided through Poland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan. That contribution exceeds 75% of the stated project value, making the national recovery program the principal public funding source for T5.

Construction involved approximately 3.5 million cubic metres of sand for reclamation and nearly 2,700 foundation piles. Those inputs supported the reclamation of more than 21 hectares, the roughly 900-metre quay and the reinforced areas rated to 40 tonnes per square metre.

For Baltic Hub, the 15% ownership stake sits alongside more than PLN 900 million in national-plan support and a terminal able to host two installation vessels. The operating indicators to watch are utilization of that capacity and the flow of blades, towers and nacelles through the 40-tonne-per-square-metre areas.

Which projects will use T5?

T5 will serve as an installation base for offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea. PGE and Ørsted are undertaking Baltica 2, which is among the developments the terminal will support.

For shippers, carriers and forwarders, Baltica 2 provides a named project link between component handling at Gdansk and turbine installation in the Baltic Sea. The commercial test will be utilization against the terminal's operating parameters: two installation vessels at once, more than 21 hectares of reclaimed land and reinforced sections rated to 40 tonnes per square metre.

The physical scale can be expressed directly: approximately 3.5 million cubic metres of reclamation sand, nearly 2,700 foundation piles, approximately 900 metres of quay and capacity for two installation vessels. For project logistics, those figures sit alongside a 17.5-metre technical depth and storage designed for blades, towers and nacelles.

The ownership and funding structure gives T5 a clear policy anchor: the Polish Development Fund holds 85% of Istrana, while the National Recovery and Resilience Plan supplied more than PLN 900 million. With two-vessel capacity built and Baltica 2 identified as a user, T5's next commercial milestone is utilization against that installed base as Baltic Sea wind activity develops.