For projects Långgrund 1 and 2 still against the wind. The Swedish Armed Forces say “no”

The investor Svea Vind Offshore plans to build two wind farms Långgrund 1 and Långgrund 1 in the waters of the Baltic Sea. Swedish media reports that the armed forces continue to refuse to approve the projects.

Långgrund 1 (1,395 MW) and Långgrund 2 (capacity unknown) are offshore wind farm projects that Swedish investor Svea Vind Offshore wants to install in waters near the provinces of Sudermania and Östergötland. The first farm will cover an area of 147 km2, the second – 167 km2. The projects involve the installation of a total of 198 350 m high wind turbines, which will generate approximately 15,000 TWh of energy annually.

Currently, the projects are in the consultation phase with administrative units. The next ones will be held in the fall of 2021 and will be attended by communities, associations and other organizations. Environmental research is already underway, including on bird populations. Research on marine biology is to be conducted in the summer of 2021.

Swedish media SVT Nyheter said that during consultations the Swedish Armed Forces said “no” to two projects in letters addressed to the investor. The authority has already opposed the Långgrund 1 project four times and the Långgrund 2 project twice. In the opinion of the Swedish Armed Forces, the investments would harm national interests in the military area. Per Edström, project manager at Svea Vind Offshore, indicated in a comment that the projects would continue and the investor was aware of the security authority’s opinion on the projects. He notes that the construction of the farm is a long process of obtaining permits, and therefore expressed hope that dialogue with public authorities will allow for a solution.

It is worth adding that in June 2020, Svea Vind Offshore began cooperation with the international energy company Iberdrola. The goal is to cooperate in the offshore wind area in Swedish waters, namely eight projects at various stages of development. For several years, the founders of Svea Vind Offshore, Matthias Wärn and Maria Brolin, have worked on projects such as Utposten 1 and 2, Utknallen, Långgrund 1 and 2. The companies will develop farms in the waters near Gavle (six projects with a total capacity of 5.1 GW) and Oxelosund (two projects with a total capacity of 3.9 GW).