The area where Ørsted plans to build the Skåne offshore wind farm (Skåne Havsvindpark) has been designated as an ‘energy area’ by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (Länsstyrelsen and Skåne Regeringen) in the overview version of Sweden’s new Baltic Sea spatial plans. In addition to the Skåne offshore wind farm, several other areas where Ørsted is developing offshore wind farms are also designated as ‘energy areas’. These include the Kattegat, Gävle East and Baltic Central. In total, Ørsted is planning to develop up to 18 GW of offshore wind energy in the Shire.
Since 2017, 22 kilometres south of Ystad and Trelleborg in Sweden’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Ørsted has been developing the Skåne offshore wind farm project. The wind farm is expected to have an installed capacity of 1.5 GW and an annual production of 7 TWh.
At the end of 2022, the Skåne County Administrative Board recommended for the government to approve the farm. The facility has the potential to cover half of Skåne’s electricity needs. The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management has also emphasised the great importance of the area for energy production, as the area has just been designated as a so-called energy area in the latest proposal for an updated marine plan for the Baltic Sea. Previously, the Skåne farm was identified as an ‘alternative study area for energy production’.
A decision on the project has been awaiting the green light from the Swedish government for more than a year. It is needed so that Ørsted can proceed with investment decisions and construction. Sebastian Hald Buhl, Ørsted’s Country Manager, Sweden, commented:
– Since we started developing the Skåne offshore wind farm in 2017, we knew that the area had excellent potential to supply green electricity to Skåne and it is very important that the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management has now come to the same conclusion and designated the area as an Energy Area. Ørsted has invested in environmental studies and seabed surveys at the Skåne offshore wind farm for many years, and as a result has obtained all the necessary permits. We are looking forward to getting the green light from the Swedish government so that we can take the next step towards bringing large-scale electricity without fossil fuels to Skåne.
The area where the Skåne offshore wind farm is located has been assessed as suitable for seabed foundation and the environmental impact of energy production in the area has been considered low. Finally, the interests of the Swedish armed forces in the area were also considered able of coexisting with those of energy production, although special attention should be paid to the interests of the Swedish armed forces.
– Ørsted develops offshore wind farms on three continents and we have industry-leading experience of working with the armed forces, just as we have an ongoing dialogue with NATO on offshore wind deployment and securing critical infrastructure. We believe that our experience from NATO countries such as Denmark, the UK, Poland and Germany, but also from the US and Taiwan, makes us the right partner for the Swedish armed forces – said Sebastian Hald Buhl.
The overview revision of the Swedish spatial plans prepared by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management will be sent for consultation and then submitted to the government for final approval.
Source: Orsted
