Sweden Designates Areas for Offshore Wind Farms
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management has designated several offshore areas, where Ørsted plans to build wind farms, as energy zones in the draft of the new Baltic Sea marine plans. These areas include Kattegat, Gävle Öst, Baltic Central, and Skåne.
Ørsted’s Skåne offshore wind farm, located 22 kilometers south of the Skåne coast, has been elevated from an “alternative investigation area” to an official energy area. This project, initiated in 2017, is set to have a capacity of 1.5 GW, producing 7 TWh annually, potentially covering half of Skåne’s electricity needs.
In 2022, the Skåne County Administrative Board recommended the project to the Swedish government, and Ørsted received the Natura 2000 permit later that year. The area is deemed suitable for fixed foundations with low environmental impact. Furthermore, the Swedish Maritime and Water Authority confirmed that the interests of the Armed Forces could coexist with the wind farm’s operations, provided special considerations are made.
The updated marine plans aim to enable 120 TWh of annual electricity production, marking a 75% increase from Sweden’s 2023 output. The proposal is under review until August 30 before being submitted to the government.
Sebastian Hald Buhl, Ørsted’s Country Manager in Sweden, expressed optimism, highlighting Ørsted’s long-term investment in environmental studies and seabed surveys. He emphasized Ørsted’s readiness to proceed pending government approval, drawing on their extensive experience with military cooperation in other countries.
