Poland Receives Its First Electricity from Offshore Wind As Baltic Power Starts Delivering
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Electricity generated by the Baltic Power offshore wind farm has entered Poland’s national power grid, marking the first time the electricity generated by offshore wind turbines is added to the country’s energy mix.
This first paragraph gives more details of the project.
54 of 76 turbines have already been installed at Poland’s first offshore wind farm, with the first now generating electricity. Construction is scheduled for completion this autumn, ORLEN and Northland Power, the owners of the project, said.
When complete, the Baltic Power wind farm will generate up to 1.2 GW.
How Much Offshore Wind Does Poland Have Planned?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
Poland has massive offshore wind plans in the Baltic Sea.
The country targets 5.9 GW by 2030 and 18 GW by 2040. To meet these goals, the government is pursuing two primary development phases to transition the national grid away from coal.
A breakdown of Poland’s offshore wind rollout includes:
Phase I (Advanced Projects): Includes 5.9 GW of capacity.
Baltic Power: Poland’s first offshore wind farm (1.2 GW), developed by Orlen and Northland Power, officially connected to the national grid in July 2026.
Bałtyk 2 & 3: Equinor and Polenergia have finalized financing for an additional 1.4 GW, slated for commercial operation around 2028.
Phase II (Auction-Backed): Poland recently allocated over 3.4 GW in new capacity through competitive offshore wind auctions, pushing development well into the next decade.
Long-Term Outlook: Industry groups estimate the total technical potential in Poland’s portion of the Baltic Sea could reach up to 33 GW.
Will Poland Be Welcoming Any Invading Germany Wind Farms?
In New Study Shows How North Sea Offshore Wind Can Yield More While Costing Less, I talked about how Germany doesn’t have enough sea in which to place the wind farms it needs to generate the green electricity and hydrogen it needs.
This map from Wikipedia shows Exclusive Economic Zones in the North Sea, but it also shows who has control of the sea in the Baltic.
Note.
- Yellow is France.
- Mauve is Belgium, who drew the short straw.
- Light Blue is The Netherlands.
- Black is Germany, who despite their large land area, don’t have as much sea as the UK.
- Red is Denmark.
- Dark Blue is Norway.
- Green is The UK.
- Germany and Poland seen to share the Southern Baltic.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Germany and Poland co-operating to maximize the wind power capacity of the Southern Baltic.
A Visit To Poland’s Coal Capital
On one of my trips to Poland, I went to Katowice, which is in Poland’s coal-mining region. I wrote about it in An Excursion In Katowice.
Google AI produced this snapshot of Katowice.
Katowice is historically known as the “Polish Coal Capital” and served as the absolute backbone of the region’s heavy industry. First transforming into an industrial powerhouse in the mid-19th century due to rich local coal and metal reserves, the city’s economy and rapid growth were entirely reliant on coal mining and steel.
While coal and heavy industry historically anchored its identity, the city of Katowice has aggressively transformed into a modern cultural, technological, and business hub. The wider Silesia region remains heavily tied to coal mining, but the municipality itself has shifted its focus to avoid reliance on it.
My visit to Katowice was an excellent pit-stop on a train ride between Krakow and Prague, when I did my Home Run From Krakow.
If you like your food and like me, you’re coeliac, I would certainly recommend Poland for a few days away.
Strangely, the language is not a problem, as if you get three Poles together, one will speak English better than what you do.
New Study Shows How North Sea Offshore Wind Can Yield More While Costing Less
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
A less dense development of offshore wind in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea, and a relocation of capacities to neighboring countries can both increase the yield from offshore wind and reduce costs, a new study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (Fraunhofer IWES) has shown.
These two paragraphs add more detail.
With Germany’s current expansion target of 70 gigawatts (GW) by 2045 and the planned land use to date, the utilization of offshore wind power will fall far short of its technical potential, the study has shown.
While the North Sea is among the windiest regions worldwide, shading effects would significantly reduce the achievable yield of up to 5,000 full-load hours. Furthermore, the close proximity of wind farms reduces each other’s wind output.
It appears from the text in this must read report, that the Germans might develop as much as 20 GW in neighbouring countries.
In Will A Large Green German Elephant Get Involved In The Clacton By-Election?, I talked about a 2 GW cluster of wind farms being developed by RWE and their partners.
- 1.1 GW – Five Estuaries
- 504 MW – North Falls
- 353 MW – Galloper
Note:
- In total they are around 2 GW.
- The wind farms are around 30 km. offshore.
- RWE are a respected German company, who are one of the UK’s largest electricity generators.
I believe that RWE and their partners could receive a lot of opposition to an overhead power line across Essex to connect these wind farms to the National Grid, and 2 GW would not be a small set of pylons.
Would it be a better value project to bring this energy to Germany, either as green electricity or green hydrogen, than connect it to the UK’s National Grid?
Consider.
- A cable between the three wind farms and the nearest part of Germany would be about 300 miles.
- The longest undersea interconnect is the Viking Line between England and Denmark, which is 475 miles long.
- RWE have been building a big offshore electrolyser in The Netherlands called H2OpZee and I believe that similar technology could be used at Clacton.
- 2 GW of energy would be ten percent of the energy, that Germany needs.
- I’m sure Rachel from Accounts would be happy for any payments for the energy.
It looks to me that energy links between the UK and Germany will only get more numerous and stronger as the years roll by.
North Sea Exclusive Economic Zones
Out of curiosity, I searched for a map and found this on Wikipedia.
Note.
- Yellow is France.
- Mauve is Belgium, who drew the short straw.
- Light Blue is The Netherlands.
- Black is Germany, who despite their large land area, don’t have as much sea as the UK.
- Red is Denmark.
- Dark Blue is Norway.
- Green is The UK.
Didn’t we do well!
But Belgium and Germany miss out badly, when it comes for virgin sea to fill with wind farms.
Energy Links To Belgium
The UK has developed or is developing two grid links to Belgium.
- Nemo Link – a 1.0 GW interconnector.
- Nautilus – A 1.7 GW offshore hybrid asset.
National Grid is a partner with their Belgian equivalent ; Elia in both.
Energy Links To Germany
Germany is developing.
- NeuConnect – a 1.4 GW interconnector.
- GriffinLink – a hybrid offshore link.
- AquaVentus
I believe there will be more links.
Will A Large Green German Elephant Get Involved In The Clacton By-Election?
Before I start I’ll ask a question.
What Does Farage Think Of Offshore Wind Farms?
Google AI gave me this reply.
Nigel Farage opposes offshore wind farms, viewing them as an unreliable energy source and arguing that they cause industrial decline and impose “intolerable costs” on households.
His specific stances include:
Taxation & Subsidies: He has pledged that his Reform UK party would eliminate subsidies for wind projects and impose a windfall levy on existing wind farms that have received subsidies.
Energy Alternatives: Farage advocates for abandoning “net zero dogma” and pushes instead for increased oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, along with the expansion of nuclear energy.
Environmental Impact: He has criticized both onshore and offshore wind infrastructure for “despoiling our landscapes and seascapes”. His opposition aligns with previously documented discussions with US President Donald Trump, who has lobbied him against wind turbines.
RWE Development In The Clacton Constituency
RWE or RWE-led consortia are developing three wind farms in the waters off the constiuency.
- 1.1 GW – Five Estuaries
- 504 MW – North Falls
- 353 MW – Galloper
Note:
- In total they are around 2 GW.
- The wind farms are around 30 km. offshore.
- RWE are a respected German company, who are one of our largest electricity generators.
I believe that RWE and their partners could receive a lot of opposition to an overhead power line across Essex to connect these wind farms to the National Grid, and 2 GW would not be a small set of pylons.
But although RWE are German, they may have a Plan B.
RWE have been building a big offshore electrolyser in The Netherlands called H2OpZee and I believe that similar technology could be used at Clacton.
- The electrolyser would be about 30 km from the shore and look like a typical wind farm substation.
- There would be connections to both the UK and Germany, and green hydrogen would be able to be sent either way.
- As Germany is decarbonising industry using hydrogen, I suspect that most green hydrogen would initially be exported.
- But it could attract businesses that needed a lot of green energy to the Clacton area.
- And Clacton certainly needs jobs.
How would Farage deal with something that would bring prosperity to his constituency, but was against his principles?
Offshore Wind Could Help Create ‘Electric Shipping Highway’ Across Europe, Study Says
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Offshore wind farms, energy islands, ports and proposed “Offshore Power Zones” could together form the foundation of an integrated maritime energy system capable of supporting large-scale vessel electrification across Northern Europe, according to a study by Maersk’s Stillstrom, Baltic Energy Island and the Port of Roenne.
This is a map from the report.
Note.
- In Investment in Grain LNG, I talked about Centrica and Grain LNG Terminal, Centrica’s plans for the terminal, which include bunkering.
- London Gateway and Immingham are two substantial ports on the East side of England.
Are English ports, except for the notable exception of Felixstowe, not shown on the map, because of Brexit?
These two paragraphs add some detail.
According to the findings, it is estimated that around 37,000 cargo vessels pass Bornholm each year, consuming approximately 3 million tonnes of marine fuel and emitting around 10 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. Full electrification of this traffic is estimated to require about 17 TWh of electricity per year, potentially replacing roughly EUR 2 billion in fossil fuel imports with domestically generated renewable power.
The whitepaper also introduces the concept of Offshore Power Zones (OPZs), developed by Stillstrom, which involves vessels accessing offshore wind-generated electricity at sea for battery charging or hotel loads. The report sees these zones linked with electrified ports to form an “electric shipping highway” stretching from the English Channel through the North Sea into the Baltic Sea.
Note that Bornholm is between Sweden and Germany.
GWEC Calls For Faster Offshore Wind Deployment As Global Capacity Nears 100 GW
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has called on governments worldwide to accelerate offshore wind deployment and treat offshore wind projects as critical energy infrastructure, warning that a faster build-out is necessary to strengthen energy security and reduce exposure to future energy market shocks
These two paragraphs add some more detail.
The industry is approaching a major milestone of 100 GW of installed offshore wind capacity globally, according to GWEC’s 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report, released on 9 June at the APAC Wind Energy Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The report shows that 9.3 GW of new offshore wind capacity was grid-connected worldwide in 2025, a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous year and the third-highest annual total on record. Global installed offshore wind capacity reached 92.5 GW by the end of 2025.
These are some points from the article.
- China remained the world’s largest offshore wind market in 2025, commissioning 6.6 GW of new capacity and increasing its total installed offshore wind capacity to 48.4 GW.
- Europe added nearly 2 GW across the UK, Germany and France, with the UK accounting for just over 1 GW of new installations.
- Despite the positive outlook, GWEC said project development continues to be hindered by permitting delays, grid constraints, supply chain bottlenecks and shortcomings in auction design.
- The average size of offshore wind turbines installed in 2025 exceeded 10 MW for the first time, reaching 10.3 MW.
It certainly looks like offshore wind power is going well.
Europe: New Fund To Upgrade Solar And Wind Assets With Battery Storage
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Review Energy.
This is the sub-heading.
The Aream Group has launched a new European investment vehicle targeting the renewable energy sector, with a strategy that combines power generation, storage and electricity marketing.
These three paragraphs add more details to the story.
The Clean Energy Future Fund II (CEFF II) will focus on integrating renewable generation assets with battery storage systems to improve the use of grid connections, which are increasingly scarce across European markets. According to Markus W. Voigt, Executive Chairman of aream Group, the hybrid model is designed to respond to growing volatility in electricity markets.
“With this hybrid approach, we are leveraging the changes and increased volatility in the European electricity markets for the benefit of our investors,” Voigt said.
The fund will primarily invest in Europe, with a particular focus on Germany, and will build on an existing portfolio of operational assets. A central element of the strategy is the addition of battery storage to solar and wind farms, allowing them to evolve from pure generation assets into providers of grid services.
I have a Google Alert which looks for “Energy Storage Fund” and this story was one of nine substantial stories.
This story talks about €400 million and two others talk about €300 million and AU $ 1.4 billion, respectively.
So hopefully, this money will help to mop up some of the energy wasted, when wind farms are curtailed.
Certainly, these funds don’t seem to have difficulty finding money to invest.
How Do Alstom Fuel Their Hydrogen Trains?
I have not seen this question answered, so out of curiosity, I asked Google AI and received this answer.
Alstom fuels their hydrogen trains, specifically the Coradia iLint, using high-pressure gaseous hydrogen stored in tanks on the roof. The hydrogen combines with oxygen via fuel cells to generate electricity, which powers the electric traction motor, with only water and heat emitted. The trains refuel at specialized hydrogen stations in roughly 15 minutes.
Key Aspects of Alstom’s Hydrogen Fueling System:
Fueling Station: The trains are powered by specialized hydrogen filling stations, such as the Linde station in Bremervörde, Germany, which supplies gaseous hydrogen.
Refueling Process: The process is designed to be a “drop-in” replacement for diesel, with a filling time similar to that of diesel trains, providing a range of over 1,000 km.
Fuel Cell Technology: Inside the train, a fuel cell module (typically located on the roof) separates hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, creating a flow of electricity.
Energy Storage: The system uses lithium-ion batteries to store excess energy from the fuel cells and energy recovered from braking.
Hydrogen Source: While some hydrogen is currently produced through conventional methods (steam reforming), there is a strong shift towards using green hydrogen produced from renewable energy on-site.
The Coradia iLint has a top speed of 140 km/h and serves non-electrified lines as a zero-emission alternative to diesel.
Alstom And Cummins Make A Deal On Hydrogen Rail Technology
I asked Google AI about this deal and receive this reply.
On April 2, 2026, Alstom announced the acquisition of Cummins’ hydrogen fuel cell activities specifically dedicated to the rail sector. This strategic move brings the technology and manufacturing capabilities for Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen trains in-house, following a period where Cummins looked to wind down its wider hydrogen business amid losses in its Accelera energy transition segment.
Here are the key details of the deal:
Scope of the Acquisition
Fuel Cell Technology In-House: Alstom acquired the engineering, product, and support capabilities for the fuel cells used in its existing hydrogen train fleets, specifically the Coradia iLint.
Manufacturing Facilities: The deal includes the transfer of Cummins’ fuel cell manufacturing and assembly site in Herten, Germany, which has been producing for Alstom since 2021.
Targeted Support: The acquisition allows Alstom to strengthen its ability to maintain, improve, and provide support for existing hydrogen fleets in Germany, Italy, and France.
Context and Strategy
Securing Supply Chain: After facing maintenance issues with the fuel cells, which previously required sourcing parts from North America, this move gives Alstom direct control over its key technology.
Strategic Pivot: While Cummins moves to pivot away from the wider hydrogen market following losses in its Accelera unit, Alstom continues to focus on hydrogen as a critical solution for replacing diesel trains on non-electrified, long-haul lines.
Commitment to Hydrogen: Despite a 2025 announcement by Alstom that it would pause “further development” of new hydrogen technology due to funding cuts, this acquisition proves that the company remains committed to supporting and enhancing its current, contracted hydrogen train programs.
Future Impact
Reliability Improvements: Alstom plans to leverage this acquisition to accelerate development work, improve the energy management, durability, and reliability of the Coradia iLint fleet, and ensure the success of projects in Germany, Italy, and France.
Market Position: This acquisition solidifies Alstom’s position as a leader in sustainable rail alternatives, even as battery technology has advanced.
I would agree strongly with the future impact.
My First Ride In An Alstom Coradia iLint
In March 2019 in My First Ride In An Alstom Coradia iLint, I said this.
I’m finally, riding in a hydrogen-powered Alstom Coradia iLint train through the German countryside.
Not as quiet as the two battery trains, I’ve ridden, but that’s because It feels to me that the traction motors are crudely under the passengers and cardan shafts are used to drive the wheels!
Battery electric trains with regenerative braking should be virtually free of any mechanical noise. Both the Class 379 and Class 230 battery demonstrators were almost silent. As electricity generated from hydrogen doesn’t appear to generate much noise, then a hydrogen-powered train can also be almost silent.
From talking to fellow passengers on my German trip, it would appear that the train has been very reliable in service.
Conclusion
Alstom are proving hydrogen would work well in a train designed for that purpose, but updating a DMU with a noisy mechanical transmission, possibly isn’t the best to go.
I now believe that Alstom have everything they need to create a 125 mph tri-mode multiple unit.
Adding in today’s article about hydrogen, I have written enough about Bombardier, which is now Alstom, and their future plans, so that they can build an Alstom 125 mph tri-mode Aventra, with with electric, battery or hydrogen power.
It could be the ultimate train.
The Bombardier Aventra And Brexit
The Batteries for Bombardier Electrostar
Parallel Thinking From Bombardier
Bombardier’s Battery Technology
Have Bombardier Got A Cunning Plan For Voyagers?
Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power
Stadler Flirt And Bombardier Aventra Tri-Modes Compared
Bombardier’s Plug-and-Play Train
Bombardier’s 125 Mph Electric Train With Batteries
Do Bombardier Aventras Have Remote Wake-Up?
Condor Celebrates Inaugural Flight Of New Frankfurt–London Gatwick Route
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Condor.
This is the sub-heading.
Condor today launched its new city connection between Frankfurt am Main (FRA) and London Gatwick (LGW). With the inaugural flight, the British capital is now officially part of Condor’s city network. The route will be operated three times daily with a schedule designed to appeal equally to business travellers and city tourists. Flights are operated using Condor’s Airbus A320 aircraft, offering capacity for 180 passengers in a two-class configuration, including Business Class and Economy Class with the standard 3-3 seating layout. In addition, Condor cooperates with partner airlines on this route.
These three paragraphs add more details.
With this new connection, Condor is expanding its city network to include one of Europe’s most important metropolitan hubs, thereby strategically strengthening its presence in the European market. To mark the inaugural flight from London Gatwick, departing passengers on the fully booked service were welcomed with a small reception and gifts before the flight departed punctually for Frankfurt am Main.
David Carlisle, Director Network and Partnerships at Condor, said: “Today’s inaugural flight to London Gatwick marks another important milestone in the expansion of our European route network. London is one of Europe’s most sought-after destinations, both for business travellers and short city breaks. We are delighted to offer our guests up to three daily frequencies, providing maximum flexibility as well as convenient access to our long-haul network to Africa and Asia.”
Jonny Macneal, Head of Aviation Development at London Gatwick, added: “We are delighted to welcome Condor to London Gatwick and to offer our passengers even greater choice with this new, frequently operated service to Frankfurt. Whether travelling for business, leisure or to visit friends and family, the route provides excellent flexibility and connectivity. Condor’s arrival marks another important milestone during a period of significant growth for the airport.”
The press release also has these two last paragraphs, which give more information about the airline.
London is one of Europe’s leading economic and financial centres and also one of the most popular destinations for city travel. The new connection offers business travellers excellent access to the Greater London area as well as flexible options for day trips. Leisure travellers benefit from convenient flight times for weekend getaways.
In addition to the launch of London Gatwick, Condor continues to expand its network. From May, Barcelona, Budapest and Venice will be added as new destinations, bringing the total number of city destinations in the Condor network to 13. With these additions, Condor is further strengthening its presence in high growth markets and continuing to expand its European route network. Flights can be booked online at http://www.condor.com, via telephone or through travel agencies.
It is certainly one of the best-written and information-rich press releases, that I have seen.
If the attention to detail is as good in the way the airline is run is half as good, Condor will be worth giving a try.
This page is their TripAdvisor reviews.
Gatwick Airport Is Expanding
I picked up the news of Condor Airlines new service from one of my Google Alerts about Gatwick Airport’s proposed new runway.
These were the titles of the news articles in the alert.
- Simple Flying – Unbelievable! The UK’s 2nd-Busiest Airport Welcomes 5th New Airline In 11 Days
- MSN – London Gatwick confirms 9th new airline in massive 2026 shakeup
- Aviation A2Z – Condor Begins First UK Route with 3 New Daily Flights to This Airport
- Yahoo News UK – Airline launches first-ever UK route from Gatwick Airport to popular European city
- AviationSource News – Condor Launches New Frankfurt to London Gatwick Route
- Aviation24.be – Condor launches Frankfurt–London Gatwick route with three daily flights, marking UK debut
- Travel Wires – Condor launches first UK route with Gatwick–Frankfurt service
- Travel And Tour World – Frankfurt & London: New Condor Flights Spark Hope and Joy at London Gatwick Airport, UK
There is also this headline about Air France.
- Aviation24.be – Air France returns to London Gatwick with new twice-daily Paris CDG service
Gatwick seems to be doing well to be welcoming nine new airlines in 2026 and five in the last eleven days.
Perhaps, some honest accounting have convinced those nine airlines, that Gatwick’s new runway, won’t raise charges as much as Heathrow’s.
TenneT, National Grid Ink Joint Development Agreement For LionLink Offshore Wind Interconnector
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Transmission system operators (TSOs) TenneT and National Grid Ventures (NGV) have signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to advance LionLink, a hybrid interconnector linking the UK and the Netherlands via a future offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.
These three paragraphs add more details.
The agreement sets out how the two partners will jointly develop LionLink towards a final investment decision (FID), including arrangements on procurement, governance, and planning, while also aiming to increase transparency on project costs ahead of construction.
LionLink is designed to integrate cross-border electricity interconnection with offshore wind by establishing a direct connection between the two countries through a grid link to the planned Nederwiek 3 offshore wind farm. According to the developers, this approach will maximise the use of offshore wind, provide additional system flexibility, and reduce the overall amount of required offshore infrastructure.
The LionLink project was launched in April 2023, when the Netherlands and the UK unveiled their plan to build the interconnector, a first-of-its-kind electricity link to connect offshore wind between the two countries via interconnections.
The same article also said these two paragraphs about the operation of the BritNed interconnector.
While the companies move forward with LionLink, their existing BritNed interconnector is marking 15 years of operation. Since entering service in 2011, the 1 GW subsea link has enabled nearly 93 TWh of electricity trading between Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Over the past five years, BritNed has exchanged enough electricity annually to power around 1.4 million households. The 260-kilometre interconnector remains a key part of both countries’ energy systems and has generated around EUR 1 billion in auction revenues on the Dutch side during its operational lifetime, TenneT said in a press release on 1 April.
It looks like BritNed has been a good investment for all stakeholders.
Note.
- LionLink will be a 2 GW interconnector.
- LionLink will land at Walberswick in Suffolk.
- LionLink has a web site.
- BritNed is a 1 GW interconnector.
- BritNed lands at the Isle of Grain in Kent.
- BritNed has a web site.
- NemoLink is an interconnector between Kent and Belgium.
- NeuConnect will be a 1.4 GW interconnector between the Isle of Grain and Wilhelmshaven, which will be operational by 2028.
- There are two actual and two proposed interconnectors between the UK and France.
The List of high-voltage transmission links in the United Kingdom in Wikipedia is growing.
The Wikipedia entry says this about the Rise of UK Interconnection.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Digest of UK Energy Statistics reports that the UK was a net importer of electricity in 2024, with net imports of 33.4 TWh, up 40% from 2023.
Interconnectors allow the trade of electricity between countries with excess generation (for example, intermittent renewable) and those with high demand. Interconnectors play a key part in balancing variable renewable generation, for example the 1.4 GW North Sea Link allows the UK to export excess power to Norway during windy periods to conserve Norwegian hydro stocks, and import Norwegian hydro power on less windy days.
During the 2022 energy crisis, the UK exported record amounts of power to mainland Europe, helping to alleviate the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on European security of supply.
As of 12 November 2024, Great Britain had nine operational international electricity interconnectors.
The UK is becoming an offshore energy substation on Europe’s North-West coast.
The Anonymous Widower 