Eon plans 700 MW wind farm in Baltic
Some 100 kilometers off the southeastern coast of Sweden, Eon Nordic plans to set up one of the world's largest offshore wind farms. In Södra Midsjöbanken, 180-230 wind turbines are to be installed with a total capacity of 700 megawatts.
According to Swedish journal Dagens Industri, the firm will be investing more than 2.2 billion euros in the project. When contacted by Renewables International, however, corporate spokesperson Mirko Kahre at Eon's headquarters in Düsseldorf, Germany, did not wish to comment, explaining that "it is too early to talk because so many parameters have yet to be clarified."
The firm's Swedish subsidiary, Eon Nordic, says that Södra Midsjöbanken is an area with good wind conditions. By the end of last year, the company had collected data on wind velocity, direction, and wave heights at a measuring station financed partly by the Swedish government. At the same time, the firm has also already contracted an environmental impact assessment. At the end of 2011, the firm reportedly also filed for a permit with Swedish authorities.
Up to now, Sweden has set up six offshore wind farms, five of which are operated by Vattenfall. Permits have also already been issued for well over a gigawatt of additional offshore wind power capacity, though it is uncertain when construction will begin. Unlike Södra Midsjöbanken, Sweden's current offshore wind farms are within ten kilometers off the coast and relatively small. The largest one is Siemens' Lillgrund, which went online in 2008 with a total capacity of 110 megawatts from 48 turbines. Gunnar Fredriksson of Swedish wind power association Svensk Vindenergi is, however, skeptical about whether Eon's plans will herald in a new era for offshore wind in Sweden. "We do not have any explicit policy promoting offshore wind power. Instead, we have a kind of certification system for all renewables. Up to now, however, it has been much cheaper to make wind power onshore, especially because Sweden has so much suitable land." (Regine Krüger / Craig Morris)
