Eolus Files for Permit for 1.4 GW Offshore Wind Farm in Sweden

Swedish company Eolus Vind has submitted a permit application for a 1,400 MW offshore wind project in Sweden. Named Arkona, the offshore wind farm is planned to have between 50 and 70 turbines that would together be able to produce around 5.5 TWh of renewable electricity per year.

The Swedish Arkona project (as there is already an offshore wind farm named Arkona in the German Baltic Sea) is proposed to be built just over 22 kilometres south of Skåne’s coast, within Sweden’s exclusive economic zone.

Subject to obtaining all necessary permits and authorisations, construction on the Arkona offshore wind farm in Sweden would start in 2028.

Decisions on permits for offshore wind projects located outside municipal waters are made by the government, which sends the application for processing to the relevant county administrative board, Eolus Vind noted in a press release.

Skåne consumes approximately 13 TWh of electricity annually while regional production amounts to about 3 TWh per year, the developer said and highlighted that Arkona could provide more than double the current electricity production in Skåne.

“Arkona is large enough to be a very positive contribution to Skåne’s energy supply, while the project has a realistic construction time, uses resources sparingly, and thus has limited impact on the local environment. In addition, the possibility of grid connection is good,” said Anna Lundsgård, Head of Offshore at Eolus.

Eolus is not the only developer with interest in building an offshore wind farm in the area as other wind power developers also have planned projects there, which is a confirmation that the area is well suited for offshore wind power, according to the Swedish company.

“We have submitted a solid application and hope that the government recognizes that Arkona is an optimized wind power project with low environmental impact and a significant supply of renewable electricity to an area with very high electricity prices,” Anna Lundsgård said.

Earlier this year, Eolus Vind applied for a permit to build a wind farm off the western coast of Sweden. Named Västvind, this project is planned to be built at a site located west of Gothenburg and to have up to 50 wind turbines, making up for an installed capacity of 1,000 MW.

Last week, Eolus Vind and Volvo Cars announced that they signed a letter of intent to collaborate on the Västvind project.

The partnership involves the Västvind offshore wind farm, once built and in operation, supplying significant amounts of electricity to Volvo Cars’ operations at Hisingen in Gothenburg, including the new battery factory being constructed together with Northvolt, through the jointly owned company Novo Energy.