Eolus Requests Government Consent to Build 2.2 GW Floating Wind Farm in Sweden

Planning & Permitting

July 1, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

Eolus has submitted an application to the Swedish government for permission to build a 2.2 GW floating offshore wind farm at a site located 20 kilometres north of Gotska Sandön and about 100 kilometres southeast of Stockholm.

The project, named Skidbladner and developed by Simply Blue Group, is planned to comprise a maximum of 147 wind turbines mounted on floating foundations and to be operational in 2033.

With a total installed capacity of 2.2 GW, the Skidbladner floating wind farm’s estimated electricity production is 11.7 TWh per year, which corresponds to half of today’s electricity consumption in Stockholm County or more than ten times Gotland’s electricity needs, according to Eolus.

“Given the enormous need for new electricity production in Sweden, offshore wind power will need to be expanded gradually over many years to come. A wind farm of this size would therefore make a significant contribution to the Swedish electricity supply,” said Per Witalisson, CEO of Eolus.

Lars Thomsson, coordinator of Energy Island Gotland, said: “The goal is for Gotland to have a completely renewable energy system by 2040, and initiatives like the Skidbladner offshore wind farm fit very well into that plan.”

Eolus has multiple offshore wind farms planned in Swedish waters, two of which are located in the Swedish economic zone off Gotland: Skidbladner and Herkules. Developed through a joint venture with the Irish project development specialist Simply Blue, Eolus’s two Gotland floating wind farms have 4.6 GW of combined installed capacity and a total electricity production estimated to be at approximately 25 TWh per year.

The application Eolus now submitted includes an application for an environmental permit that has been filed with the government and an application to the Gotland County Administrative Board for a Natura 2000 permit.