The Finnish Government has granted permits to lease its seabed to develop two large-scale offshore wind farms. State-owned forest and seabed administrator, Metsähallitus, obtained permission to lease these areas.
Finland intends to be carbon neutral by 2035 and has built a considerable amount of onshore wind in the past ten years. Wind power is now 10% of Finland’s electricity, up from less than 1% a decade ago. By 2025 wind should meet at least 27% of Finland’s electricity requirements, and the country intends to reach 5 GW of capacity by the end of the year, most of it onshore.
Developing offshore and onshore wind farms
Currently, there is just one small-scale 42 MW nearshore wind farm in Finnish waters; the Tahkoluoto wind farm commissioned in 2017. The Finnish Government now wants to expand this wind farm with up to 45 turbines with a capacity of 11-20 MW each, which could take the capacity of Tahkoluoto up to 900 MW.
The other area, Korsnäs, is currently being pre-developed by Metsähallitus and is located further north in the Bay of Bothnia. Initially, the plans for the site foresaw a 1.3 GW wind farm. But the Government now has bigger plans for this zone and wants it to have a capacity of up to 3 GW.
The offshore wind development will play a key role in increasing the share of renewable energy in the Finnish energy mix and contribute significantly to Finland’s carbon neutrality target. It will also help Finland on its way to becoming more self-sufficient in its electricity production.
“Finland has been doing a great job with onshore wind and has a steady pipeline for the coming years. With its ambitious offshore wind plans now, Finland is setting out a clear blueprint to shift away from fossil fuels and go climate neutral by 2035,” concluded Pierre Tardieu, Chief Policy Officer at WindEurope.
What is WindEurope?
WindEurope is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting wind energy across Europe. The company has over 400 members across the whole value chain of wind energy: wind turbine manufacturers, component suppliers, power utilities and wind farm developers, financial institutions, research institutes, and national wind energy associations.
Additionally, WindEurope actively coordinates international policy, communications, research, and analysis. We also provide various services to support members’ requirements and requirements to further their development, offering the best networking and learning opportunities in the sector.
Furthermore, the company analyses formulate and establish policy positions for the wind industry on critical strategic sectoral issues, cooperating with industry and research institutions on several market development and technology research projects. Thus, the lobbying activities undertaken by WindEurope contribute towards creating a suitable legal framework within which members can successfully develop their businesses.
Lastly, the company produces a large variety of information tools and manages campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of wind and enhance social acceptance, dispelling myths about wind energy and providing easy access to credible information.
WindEurope regularly organises numerous events, from conferences, exhibitions, and launches to seminars and workshops. These encourage the exchange of international experience on policy, finance, and technical developments and provide the ideal forum to showcase the latest technology.
