Environmental Probe Starts at 1.4 GW Finnish Offshore Wind Farm

Engineering consultancy AFRY will deliver environmental impact assessment and prepare the local master plan for the Korsnäs wind farm offshore Finland.

AFRY’s scope of work also includes technical engineering for the project.

The Finnish National Board of Forestry plans to develop an offshore wind farm with a minimum capacity of 1,400 MW some 15 kilometres off the coast of the municipality of Korsnäs, Ostrobothnia.

If implemented, energy production at the offshore wind farm would begin in 2028 at the earliest, according to The Finnish National Board of Forestry.

The wind farm will comprise 70-100 wind turbines with a nominal power output of between 12 MW and 20 MW.

AFRY has already worked as a consultant in the pre-engineering of the Korsnäs offshore wind farm.

The initiative for zoning was accepted in the municipality of Korsnäs in 2020, and the environmental impact assessment began this spring.

The sea area in front of Korsnäs presents a significant wind energy resource with average wind speeds exceeding 9 m/s, AFRY said.

In addition, the depth and geology of the sea area is suitable for offshore wind farms. Fishing, fish species, and migratory birds have been taken into account for the project.

The impact on the characteristics of Kvarken archipelago, its natural heritage and natural habitat types are being taken into account in the environmental impact assessment and permission processes, the consultancy said.

”Korsnäs offshore wind power project is a remarkable project in Finland’s emerging offshore wind power market. In this project there is a wide array of both AFRY’s experts and our cooperation partners,” said Piia Heikkinen, manager of wind and solar energy in Finland at AFRY.

The Finnish National Board of Forestry manages almost one third of Finland and its natural resources – forests, shores, waters and soils and it aims at tripling wind power production on its sites by 2030.