Lithuania’s Klaipeda State Seaport Authority and Klaipeda Sea Cargo Company (Klasco) have penned an investment deal to develop the port infrastructure required for the planned development of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea.
Under the agreement, the Port Authority will provide the infrastructure on the Smelte peninsula to enable the development of production, assembly or storage activities for offshore wind power plants and components. Investments in the infrastructure of the peninsula could amount to around €27m ($28.8m), the port said.
Meanwhile, Klasco has signed up to build the relevant superstructure. Specifically, the quays will be reconstructed to accommodate for the loading and assembly of wind turbines, utilising around 20 hectares of land.
“Offshore construction is a complex project. Bulky cargo will have to be unloaded, properly stored, assembled and transported by special vessels to the sea, where the wind turbines will be placed in the designated locations. We believe that most of this transshipment could be done by Lithuania through the Port of Klaipėda,” said Vytautas Stumbergas, CEO of Klasco.
Algis Latakas, director-general of Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, noted that the decision by the Lithuanian government to reduce the Port Authority’s average annual return on investment in wind energy infrastructure to 2% allowed this investment to be implemented without placing a significant burden on future wind energy generation developers.
“This is the start of real work to attract an investor to a nationally important energy project – offshore wind power development. Diversifying activities and creating conditions for such activities in the port that create high added value is one of the goals of the Port Authority,” added Latakas.
