Fesio has been researching the windpower situation in Finland and the issues related to building offshore wind power. Fesios researcher Senior Lecturer Toni Lustila from VAMK has written an article about this. The article provides an overview of the current state of wind power construction in Finland and describes the emerging boom in offshore wind power. The whole article can be read in VAMK´s Energiaa magazine and can be accessed here: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2023050841648 .
According to the paper Finland is experiencing a rapid growth in onshore and offshore wind power construction. While Finland ranked among the top three countries in Europe for onshore wind power in 2022, it significantly lags behind in offshore wind power. However, there has been a recent surge of interest in offshore wind projects. Finland's onshore wind power capacity has been increasing over the past decade, with advancements in technology leading to more efficient and larger turbines. In Figure 1 we can see the situation related to wind power construction in Europe.
Figure 1. In 2022, the most new wind power capacity in Europe was constructed in Germany, Sweden, and Finland. (Wind Europe.)
In terms of offshore wind power, Finland is still far behind leading European countries such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Currently, Finland has only one offshore wind farm, Tahkoluoto, and another project with few turbines on artificial islands in Kemi Ajos. However, there are plans for numerous offshore wind projects in Finland.
The Finnish Wind Power Association keeps track of wind power projects and publishes information on their map. The association has identified 12 planned offshore wind farms in Finland, with nearly a thousand turbines expected to be installed. The Finnish government has already granted research permits for offshore wind projects and is reviewing several permit applications. Based on the mapping work conducted by the author of the article, as of writing the article, there are already 26 publicly known offshore wind power projects in Finland. Map in figure 2 shows the locations of them and the depth information of the Baltic Sea.
Figure 2. Map of the planned offshore wind power projects in Finland's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
The construction of offshore wind power projects in Finland poses challenges due to the harsh operational conditions, but the higher wind speeds at sea make it attractive. Developers are racing to secure areas for projects, and there is a growing interest in offshore wind power potential. Future energy transmission solutions, such as hydrogen and gas pipelines, are being explored for offshore wind power projects.
The article concludes that future diverse and flexible energy transmission solutions will contribute to supporting the green transition, to which offshore wind power construction itself will provide a significant contribution.
Summary text is written by Lotta Saarikoski
Principal lecturer at VAMK, Fesio project worker
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