The Swedish Government plans to contract electricity system operator Svenska Kraftnät to expand the transmission network in the country’s offshore areas. The development of offshore wind power will support Sweden’s efforts to meet its 2040 RES energy production targets.
In order to ensure clear and transparent conditions for stakeholders, the Government intends to give Svenska Kraftnät a mandate to start preparatory work for the offshore grid expansion. The Swedish entity will be tasked with, among others, examining whether there is a need for new guidelines for offshore developers. One of the Svenska Kraftnät’s responsibilities will be to describe and explain conditions for developers with respect to, for example, the timing and geographic areas of transmission development. The legislation facilitating Svenska Kraftnät is expected to come into force on the 1 January 2022. The results of the work are to be presented to the Ministry of Infrastructure by the 15 June 2022.
As we read on the Swedish government’s website, the expansion of the transmission grid in the offshore areas will focus on locations where there is the greatest chance to connect more offshore farms. Sweden has very good conditions for wind energy development in its waters, especially in the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, offshore wind power is much more efficient than onshore wind turbines.
– “Offshore wind energy offers the opportunity to significantly increase electricity production in the southern part of Sweden and reduce energy prices”, comments Sweden’s Minister for Energy and Digital Development, Anders Ygeman.
Additionally, the Minister for the Environment and Climate, Per Bolund, stressed that there has been a dynamic development of RES in Sweden, but that the government’s goal is to accelerate this dynamic. Offshore wind energy has the potential to produce energy to replace coal and oil.
Sweden is pinning its hopes on offshore wind energy because of its 2040 RES energy production targets. This country will soon face electricity shortages, which could be damaging to the industry. The government wants to respond to the increased demand for energy in the future through investment in offshore wind farms.
