On January 21, 2013 in Slupsk, a conference “Offshore wind energy – an opportunity for the development of maritime industry and coastal regions” took place, which was organized by the Foundation for Sustainable Energy, Slupsk Technological Incubator, Hanseatic Higher School of Management and the Pomeranian Regional Development Agency.

The conference was held under the patronage of the Polish Senate Marshal – Bogdan Borusewicz, the Minister of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy (MTBiGM) – Slawomir Nowak, Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship – Mieczyslaw Struk, and Marshal of the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship – Olgierd Geblewicz. Kazimierz Kleina, Member of the Polish Senate, held an organizational patronage of the conference. Ernst & Young Poland was a substantive partner of the event.

The event was attended by the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy (MTBiGM) – Ms. Anna Wypych – Namiotko, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Environment – Mr. Stanislaw Gawlowski, Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Ms. Rita Kamedula – Tomaszewska, Deputy Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship – Mr. Wieslaw Byczkowski , Deputy Marshal of the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship – Mr. Andrzej Jakubowski, director of the Maritime Office Slupsk – Tomasz Bobin, Parliament Members and Senators of Poland, representatives of local administration, investors and Polish and foreign experts of the offshore wind energy sector. The conference was attended by over 300 people.

Such a broad group of participants allowed to discuss about the conditions of the development of offshore wind energy and maritime industry in Poland, and its impact on the development of coastal regions. Participants of the discussion, including representatives of local administration, declared their support for the construction of offshore wind energy projects in the Baltic Sea, and the necessity of creating a special programme for the development of this sector in Poland. Participants of the conference discussed also a number of solutions that will allow the construction of first offshore wind farms in Polish maritime areas, as well as the development of industry in Polish ports forming the infrastructural support for the sector. In particular, the attention of participants of the conference was drawn to the necessity to accelerate legislation process of the Renewable Energy Sources Act with an efficient and stable support system adopted to the specifics of the technology, as well as the inclusion of quantitative targets for the development of the offshore wind in energy sector strategic documents for the years 2020 – 2030. The need to involve Polish research and scientific centers in the implementation of offshore wind farms and necessity to start a dialogue with representatives of the fisheries sector was also stressed during the conference.

The conference was the first such major event in Poland devoted to offshore wind energy in Polish maritime areas, which gathered representatives of ministries, administration, regional and local authorities, investors planning the implementation of offshore wind farms, international companies and local entrepreneurs who could participate in the development of such projects. It was another initiative undertaken by the Foundation for Sustainable Development as a part of the “National Programme for the development of offshore wind energy in Polish maritime areas”.

We encourage to read the conference materials elaborated by the Foundation (available only in Polish) and to see the conferece presentations (below).

Offshore wind energy an opportunity for the development of maritime industry and costal regions – summary of the conference, FNEZ

A summary presentation of the conference

Offshore wind energy an opportunity for the development of maritime industry and coastal regions, FNEZ (available only in Polish)

OWF impacts of fish in the fisheries industry, FNEZ (available only in Polish)

Major conditions that may influence a decision making process of investors in the offshore wind energy sector, A.Gabryś (available only in Polish)

Legal, political and infrastructural conditions of the offshore wind energy development in Poland, M. Stryjecki (available only in Polish)

Offshore Wind and regional development – the case of Rostock, G.Proba

Legal, political and infrastructural conditions of the maritime industry development – local and foreign experiences, M.Witoński (available only in Polish)

Cooperation of business and science as the core of maritime industry and offshore wind energy development, M. Zajkowska (available only in Polish)

A review of research programmes in Europe in the context of the development of offshore wind farms, J. Gajewski (available only in Polish)

A role of coastal scientific centres and cooperation with R & D in regional development related to the industry and offshore energy, M.Grzybowski (available only in Polish)

How Research Institutions Can Engage with Offshore Wind Companies, J. Sturman