Offshore wind - the energy sector's 'gamechanger'

For Radosław Gnutek, Director of Hydrogen Projects Development at Polenergia, although burgeoning tech like hydrogen has fruitful opportunities within Poland’s energy transition, offshore wind will be the one to prove the ‘gamechanger’ for the energy sector.

Gnutek, speaking with Leon Pulles, Managing Partner at Energy Investment BV, in an exclusive interview during Enlit Europe, says there are many opportunities in the Polish market that will bear fruit for the energy transition.

Take gas or hydrogen, for example. Although Gnutek says that neither are necessarily silver bullets, their role within the Polish energy market offers immense opportunity.

Natural gas, he says, still has a big role as a grid stabiliser, especially as industry moves away from coal. Hydrogen, he adds, can provide a key solution to many problems, especially within hard to abate and heavy industry such as refineries, ammonia or steel.

“I believe that hydrogen is not a silver bullet. It’s not a solution to all our problems, but some problems can be solved perfectly with hydrogen. In Poland we have very heavy, strong industry – refineries, ammonia…cement and steel production.

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“In those areas, hydrogen is indispensable.”

But the real gamechanger, says Gnutek, is going to be offshore wind:

“Offshore wind is a gamechanger for the whole industry. It will revolutionise the whole energy business in Poland.

“There are companies which [have been] busy with offshore wind for many, many years. Polaenergia is one of these companies – we’ve been a pioneer on the Polish Baltic Sea with offshore wind. And what you see now is that there is a lot of progress.

“A lot of companies are moving from…paper into installation, realisation of the projects. This step will be the most visible step for the industry. I believe that this will change quite a lot.”

Watch the rest of the interview for Gnutek’s alternating views of nuclear prospects – his enthusiasm as an engineer contrasting with his acknowledgement of challenges and historical setbacks – and what his choice of study would be, were he a student.