PGE Baltica has announced a call for tenders for the selection of a general contractor for its base in Ustka – see what the new port infrastructure will look like
The company responsible for the implementation of the PGE Group's Offshore Programme is looking for a general contractor to prepare a detailed design and build an operations and maintenance base (O&M base) to provide services to its offshore wind farms. The new port infrastructure will bring a new life to the left-bank part of Ustka. The selection of a construction company means an opportunity to involve other domestic entities in the implementation of the project.
The tasks of the construction contractor will include the development of complete design documentation and the construction of facilities as well as obtaining valid permits for their use. The project has been divided into several stages,
the two main ones being the operations and maintenance base and a parking lot for passenger cars together with an access road. The optional scope of the contract includes a part of the O&M base that can be used as facilities supporting the construction of offshore wind farms and the renovation of one of the wharves and the so-called construction basin, which may provide an additional independent port space in the future.
The call for tenders for the selection of a general contractor is an important step towards the implementation of the Ustka operations and maintenance base project. We want to make a choice and sign the contract later this year, so that construction work can start at the beginning of 2025, and the entire base is ready by the end of 2026, said Bartosz Fedurek, President of the Management Board of PGE Baltica. The location of the O&M base in Ustka was determined by the distance from the planned wind farms, optimal navigation conditions enabling access from the port to the wind farm area in the shortest possible time, abundant accommodation and food service facilities as well as the extraordinary social potential of this city and the region, he added.
This is how the fabric of the port will change
PGE Baltica's operations and maintenance base in Ustka will be built on an area of over 2.3 hectares on the site where the “Korab” fish processing plant operated years ago. It will consist of an administration building, a storage building, a vehicle circulation area and a wharf where special, fast crew transfer service vessels (CTVs) will be moored. The base buildings have also been carefully designed in terms of architecture, so that they harmoniously and aesthetically fit into the charming tourist environment of Ustka.
I look with appreciation at how PGE Baltica is consistently implementing its plans. The area where the base will be built has a sentimental dimension for the residents of Ustka, as many residents worked in the fish processing plant that used to exist there. Unfortunately, plants of this type have not survived the changes, but I am glad that sea-related facilities will be built in the port. Ustka will play an important role in Poland's energy transition – the development of offshore wind energy is a great opportunity for us and the entire region of Pomerania. I am glad that the City has such a partner – PGE Baltica is not only creating an O&M base here, but it successfully joins the life of Ustka, supports social organisations and investments serving the residents, said Jacek Maniszewski, Mayor of the City of Ustka.
Participation of Polish companies in building the Ustka base
PGE Baltica estimates that the base alone will employ about 100 people. But its potential for job creation is much greater. So far, only Polish entities, whose tenders proved to be the best, have worked on the preparation of the project – from site inventory survey through ground and port basin bottom surveys, preparation of various types of analysis, including navigational conditions, and then also the preparation of design documentation necessary to obtain a building permit. The company that carried out the demolition of the remains of the former industrial buildings subcontracted national and local surveying and transport companies as well as waste disposal operators.
The general contractor will work with subcontractors. This is another opportunity for construction companies from Pomerania to join the implementation of the project. In addition, PGE Baltica will also employ a contract engineering team for the project, which means more jobs in the construction of the base. It is estimated that at the peak of construction, up to 150 people could be employed at the site.
Purchasing procedure for the selection of the Port Designer and Contractor