Swedish Armed Forces Shoots Down Vattenfall’s Offshore Wind Farm Project

Swedish energy company Vattenfall and its partner Wallenstam have cancelled the Taggen offshore wind project in Sweden after the Swedish Armed Forces said no to the wind farm.

”Of course, it is regrettable that we are now forced to put down a large renewable energy project that we, together with Wallenstam, have been developing for over 10 years. Now we must focus on taking the lessons learned from Taggen into the next offshore project,” said Mattias Sjöberg, Chairman of the Board of Taggen Vindpark AB, the special purpose company of Vattenfall and Wallenstam.

Back in 2012, Taggen Vindpark AB obtained a permit to build a 300MW wind farm located in Hanö Bay some 12 kilometres offshore Sölvesborg comprising 83 wind turbines.

The company subsequently submitted a proposal to reduce the number of the wind turbines used to a maximum of 40 by deploying turbines with a larger individual capacity and with a maximum height of 220 metres. The wind farm was scheduled to start delivering electricity in 2024/25.

When the new permit application went to a referral, the Swedish Armed Forces said no not only to the new application, but to the project as such.

The Swedish Armed Forces dismissed the proposals due to the wind farm’s vicinity to the Ravlunda shooting range which is located some 25 kilometres from Taggen’s development area, Vattenfall said.