Hogan Lovell OffshoreBook 2023 230809 OnlinePDF - Flipbook - Page 203
Offshore Wind Worldwide 2023
5. GRID AND
GRID CONNECTION
5.1 Legal framework for the connection
to the onshore grid and the
establishment of the grid connection
The main legal framework for the grid
connection for an OWF is the Offshore Wind
Act, the Energy Law, the Preparation and
Development of Strategic Investments in
respect of the Transmission Network Act,
and the regulation on detailed requirements
for elements of the set of devices used for
power transmission and for elements of
substations located at sea.
Operational safety of OWFs is regulated
under the Maritime Safety Act which has
recently been amended.
5.2 Planning and construction of
the grid connection system
In general, the main entity responsible of the
financing, construction, and operation of all
onshore grid connection systems in Poland
is the public TSO, PSE (Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne). The grid connection system
has been one of the main challenges of the
development of OWFs in Poland. In order to
ensure the connection of a significant new
capacity and its transmission from the north
to the south of the country, the TSO has
included a number of new investments in its
transmission network development plan for
2030. 29
However, according to the Preparation and
Development of Strategic Investments in
203
respect of the Transmission Network Act,
the investments in the connection network
and installations used to transmit power
from an OWF, along with the performance
of any necessary construction works, will
remain within the responsibilities of the
OWF owner. Investors will develop the connection between the OWF and the onshore
high-voltage grid. After the development the
transmission installations can be sold to the
TSO (see section 5.3 below).
These investments are to be considered
‘transmission network strategic investments’, which means that for their implementation (in addition to other permits)
an investment location decision will be
required as issued by the governor of province (wojewoda). Based on this decision,
the lands where the investment is located
will be expropriated (in the case of a power
station) or the rights to them will be limited
(in the case of other investments within the
transmission network). The decision should
be issued within one month. This procedure
is separate from the procedure for obtaining
an OWF location permit or a cable location
permit. And for this procedure only the
determination of the location of the OWF
and the cable is required in order to connect
to the OWF network. The application must
also be accompanied by a separate environmental decision and a dozen other opinions
must be requested.
5.3 Responsibility for the cost of
the grid connection system
According to the Offshore Wind Act, the
29 Map of national grid network 2030 https://www.pse.pl/obszary-dzialalnosci/krajowy-system-elektroenergetyczny/plan-sieci-elektroenergetycznejnajwyzszych-napiec/planowana
