Renewables

Sweden blocks Vattenfall’s offshore wind project to protect nature, shipping

Vattenfall_offshore_wind_farm

Photo: Vattenfall

Published

July 31, 2023

Country

Comments

0

Share

Published:

July 31, 2023

Country:

Comments:

0

Share

Sweden’s government has rejected a project to build an offshore wind farm off the country’s western coast over environmental concerns and a possible adverse impact on national shipping interests. The Stora Middelgrund wind farm, proposed by energy company Vattenfall, would have produced between 2.5 TWh and 3 TWh a year, an equivalent of 1.5% of Sweden’s total electricity consumption.

The government has determined that the Stora Middelgrund offshore wind farm would risk damaging “sensitive natural values ​​in an unacceptable way” and even pose a risk to “national interests in shipping,” according to Sweden’s Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari, news agencies reported.

Sweden has recently approved two other offshore wind farm projects

Pourmokhtari was also quoted as saying that the government was working hard to increase the production of fossil-free electricity and had recently given permission to two offshore wind farms off the west coast of Sweden.

The Stora Middelgrund wind farm was targeted for completion in 2030

The Stora Middelgrund wind farm would have consisted of up to 50 turbines, measuring 290 meters in height, according to a press release from Vattenfall. It was planned to be operational in 2030, with a total installed capacity of between 600 MW and 750 MW.

Vattenfall acquired the Stora Middelgrund project in the winter of 2019. The project was originally developed for 108 turbines with a capacity of 8 MW each, making the total capacity 864 MW. Thanks to technological advances, Vattenfall was able to propose to the government to change the existing permit in order to build fewer but higher and more efficient turbines.

Vattenfall made adjustments to minimize the wind farm’s environmental impact

The wind turbines were planned to be installed within protected Natura 2000 areas, but the position of the turbine foundations had been adjusted so as to minimize the impact on sensitive nature locations.

Vattenfall said it had supplemented the application with a Natura 2000 assessment “which shows that coexistence between wind power and the environment was possible in the area through a number of adaptations and commitments.”

Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the European Union, which includes both land and marine areas.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Minister Dubravka Dedovic Djedovic Handanovic Female Leader of Energy Transition award

Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović receives Female Leader in Sustainable Energy award

29 September 2023 - President of CPOR and Cofounder of WISE Serbia Branislava Jovičić handed the Female Leader in Sustainable Energy award to Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović

Bulgaria-add-42-GW-wind-outside-protected-areas

Bulgaria could add as much as 42 GW from wind outside protected areas

29 September 2023 - A study found that Bulgaria is expected to increase its total wind power capacity by...

US-Canada-financing-nuclear-reactors-Romania-Cernavoda

US, Canada approve financing for new nuclear reactors at Romania’s Cernavodă

29 September 2023 - US Exim Bank approved a USD 57 million loan and Canada offered CAD 3 billion in financing for new reactors in Romania's Cernavodă plant

Alcazar Energy fund acquires rights wind power Bijela Montenegro

Alcazar Energy fund acquires rights to wind power project Bijela in Montenegro

28 September 2023 - Luxembourg-based Alcazar Energy took over the Bijela wind farm project in Šavnik in Montenegro, of 118 MW