- Poland | 8 July 2020
Congratulations on ROBUR BALTIC becoming part of the larger ROBUR family. As a wind energy services company, what position does this put you in to serve the local and European market?
ROBUR BALTIC is now part of ROBURp, which is made up of several companies in the energy and other industries. We can now benefit from the knowledge and expertise of our sister companies. As one of the top service providers globally, we have business entities in Poland, Germany, Russia, Estonia, and Chile, and we are currently expanding into Ukraine. Our main focus is on installation, service, and maintenance for both onshore and offshore wind energy projects. Being nimble, we can easily adapt to our clients’ needs, from remote solitary projects to larger scale implementations, come rain or shine.
As someone originally from Denmark, what prompted you to set up shop in Poland and what specific benefits do you still see here?
The cost of starting a business in Poland was significantly lower than in Denmark, and we have fantastic access to talented employees. Although the Polish market has been quiet for the last two years, we still see many opportunities surrounding the development of onshore and offshore wind projects. Poland is transitioning to a low-carbon economy based on energy-saving ideas and efforts to increase efficiency. It has become clear to everyone that wind energy makes sense and has become competitive on a merchant basis. However, we are waiting for the regulatory framework to become more favorable.
Given that a significant amount of the Polish population relies on the coal industry for jobs, do you believe that there will be enough renewable energy installed capacity to supplement and replace all of the jobs the coal industry can offer?
We believe that the renewable energy sector can create enough jobs, but the real challenge is the grid. Big powerlines are very limited in Poland, and a significant amount of infrastructure development is required, which will generate jobs. An entire ecosystem needs to be built around it.
Do you experience a competitive business climate in Poland?
The wind energy sector has reached maturity, and we operate in a very competitive climate with many companies offering the same services as we do. What differentiates us is our advantage of sharing knowledge and expertise with other companies in our group, and the fact that we have been around for so long.
Offshore wind energy production is expected to start in 2025. Are you already engaging in discussions with project developers?
It is still too early for us to get involved in discussions. We need to know who the manufacturers and developers are going to be before we can take action. In the meantime, we are fighting for more onshore business, given how dire the past two years have been for the industry. The December auction is opening a few doorways for us, and soon developers will be putting out project lists and choosing suppliers. Depending on available manpower and project scope, we can choose the ones we are keen on, and we have ongoing tenders with two of the main turbine manufacturers.
How are you addressing the challenging legislation that all but halted new onshore projects in the past couple of years in Poland? Are you switching your attention to other countries?
Over the last two years, we worked on various projects in Chile, Germany, and Turkey. When deciding on taking on projects, we consider the ease of logistics in the country and how we get our tools into the country of operation. The availability of the right skills in the country to establish the right team is also important to us. Poland is our base, and we are here to stay.