"During the last four years we pushed the project through the various stages. We now ask for a debate on a remuneration model for offshore wind so that we reach the final stage: Suurhiekka offshore wind farm producing energy for 300 000 Finish households!", comments Heli Rissanen, Deputy Managing Director of wpd Finland OY.
wpd Finland OY started developing the Suurhiekka offshore wind farm in 2007 and aims to of construction in 2014. While the granting by the Regional State Administrative Agency of Northern Finland of the so-called “water permit”, which includes the decision on the environmental acceptance, brings the country’s first offshore wind farm closer to reality, with only technical approval now required to start construction, the Finnish government’s decision on such a support mechanism for offshore wind is the deciding factor on whether or not the farm will be developed.
However, without offshore wind, wpd Finland OY points out, Finland is unlikely to reach its national renewable energy goals for 2020 and support for offshore wind has therefore entered the spotlight in Finish energy politics.
The Suurhiekka offshore wind farm owned by wpd Finland Oy’s sister company Suurhiekka Offshore Oy would be built in the shallows of Suurhiekka, located about 25 km from the coast of Ii, in the Gulf of Bothnia. The project includes 80 wind turbines, 1–2 offshore transformer stations and submarine cables. It also includes the construction of a about 15 km long 400 kV overhead line to connect the wind farm to the national grid. It is estimated that the wind farm could produce 1,500 GWh of electricity per year which equals the yearly consumption of about 300,000 non-electrically heated households.
wpd Finland Oy with headquarters in Espoo, is a subsidiary within wpd group a worldwide developer and operator of wind farms. In total, the company has carried out projects with around 1,600 turbines and an output of more than 2GW. Currently wpd is planning projects with 7,000 MW in total. Moreover, the group is Europe’s leading offshore developer with a pipeline of 10,000 MW. One of the first commercial offshore wind plants, Baltic I, was built by wpd last year, while the company is developing offshore projects in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France and Italy.
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