Certification of offshore wind farms and the set of equipment for power evacuation
Due to the scale of impact and the importance for energy security of investments such as offshore wind farms and associated power export equipment, the investor is required to fulfill a number of certification obligations.
Pursuant to Article 113g(1) of the Maritime Safety Act, during the implementation phase of the investment and construction process for the offshore part, the investor is required to obtain the following certificates:
-
a design compliance certificate issued after the development of the construction design and before notifying the construction supervision authority of the intended start date of construction works related to the offshore wind farm or the equipment set – confirming that the construction design complies with technical standards specifying the requirements that must be met by the offshore wind farm or the power export equipment;
-
an operational approval certificate issued after the completion of construction of the offshore wind farm or its part, or the equipment set – but no later than 30 days before the planned date of the first injection into the grid of electricity generated by the offshore wind farm or its part, based on the granted license – confirming that the construction process complies with the construction design and the design compliance certificate referred to in point 1;
-
an operational safety certificate issued before the expiry date of the certificate referred to in point 2, but not earlier than 3 months before the expiry date of the certificate referred to in point 2 – confirming the completeness and correctness of documentation regarding the proper maintenance and servicing of the offshore wind farm or its part, or the equipment set.
The purpose of the certification is to verify whether the offshore wind farm and the equipment set used to export power from the offshore wind farm meet the requirements in terms of:
- structural and construction safety regarding strength, load-bearing capacity, and stability;
- fire safety;
- operational safety;
- environmental protection;
- functional conditions appropriate to the intended use of various types of equipment, structures, or installations comprising the offshore wind farm,
which is confirmed by the certificates obtained by the investor.
Certificates may only be issued by so-called recognized organizations, the list of which is maintained by the Minister of Infrastructure, who is the competent authority for maritime affairs.
The current list of recognized organizations is available at:
Validity period of certificates:
- design compliance certificate – valid indefinitely;
- operational approval certificate – issued for a period not exceeding 5 years;
- operational safety certificate – issued for a period not exceeding 5 years and must be renewed no earlier than 3 months before the expiry date of the operational safety certificate.