On March 21st-22nd, a first partner meeting of the Baltic InteGrid („Integrated Baltic Offshore Wind Electricity Grid Development” funded under the INTERREG Baltic Sea Region in 2014-2020 took place. This was organized together with a kick-off conference of the project. At the invitation of the project leader – Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM), the Foundation for Sustainable Energy (FNEZ) participated in the meetings joining them together with 13 project partners and associated organisations.
The main objective of the project Baltic InteGrid is to develop a concept of the Baltic Offshore Grid integrated with planned offshore wind farms. It will be based on a detail analysis of spatial, market, political, regulatory, social, environmental, and technical conditions. The FNEZ as being a second project partner is, inter alia, responsible for: identyfing a list of a potential impacts of the Baltic Offshore Grid on environment and society, elaborating  the „Impact mitigation strategy of the Baltic Offshore Grid,” and preparing the prefeasibility study for the case study – interconnection between Poland-Sweden. During meetings partners discussed the plan of works for the next 3 years.  Particular emphasis was placed on the next 6 months. The initial phase of the project plays a key role and influences the final success of the project. That is why it is very important to develop the organizational, administrative and substantive issues at the very beginning of the project. In the following period all partners will work in close cooperation with associated organizations to recognize the market and stakeholders as well as to collect materials to establish and work in the Baltic Offshore Grid Forum (BOGF). Following representatives of partners and  experts from offshore sector took part in the kick-off conference:

• Anika Nicolaas Ponder – IKEM – Introduction to the Baltic InteGrid,
• Andrius Šimkevičius – LITGRID AB – Wind energy in Lithuania
• Nadja Ballauf – 50Hertz – The Challenges of Offshore Wind: A Grid Operators‘s Perspective,
• dr Maciej M. Sokołowski – FNEZ – Renewable Energy and Offshore Wind Development in Poland: The Potential of Regional Cooperation
• prof. Birgitte Egelund Olsen – University of Aarhus – Public Participation in Wind Energy and Infrastructure Projects: The Danish experience,
• Pierre Ståhl – Energikontor Sydost AB – Sweden‘s Renewable Energy Plans and the Future for Offshore,
• prof. Ari Ekroos – University of Aalto – Finnish Framework for Wind and Offshore Energy: State and Outlook.