Major boom in wind power projects

Between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts of generating capacity planned

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By Heikki Arola
     
      Finland’s largest energy companies have made preliminary plans for a number of large offshore wind power stations in case wind energy were to become a seriously viable source of electricity production. If they are built, the generators would have a combined capacity of up to between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts of output.
      The increase would be considerable, as Finland now has just 120 megawatts of wind power capacity, putting it in 30th place in the world.
      Attitudes toward the use of wind energy in Finland have been somewhat sceptical, and plans by large companies for wind power are still preliminary visualisation. Turning them into real projects would require both time and political decisions on how and to what degree electricity generated by wind is to be supported, either through tax revenue or other mechanisms.
     
The political decisions are connected with the energy package of the European Union, and decisions on subsidies for wind energy and other renewable energy sources need to be made by the present Finnish government.
      There is a clear difference in opinion between the National Coalition Party and the Centre Party. The National Coalition favours nuclear power more than the Centre does, and the Centre appears to be ready to give extensive support for “feeder tariff support”, in which producers of renewable energy would be entitled to direct payments from electricity consumers.
     
Fortum has planned to set up wind power stations in the northern part of the Baltic near Kemi, Simo, and Ii. According to Fortum, it would be possible to build two wind parks in the area, the largest of which could have a combined capacity of nearly 1,000 megawatts. The second would be half the size.
      Helsinki Energy and the South Ostrobothnian energy company Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima have been considering two wind parks of 500-1000 megawatts in the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Pohjolan Voima and Oulu Energy are examining the possibility of a sea-based wind park of 500.8000 megawatts off Oulu.
      The Finnish branch of the German-owned WPD is considering two wind parks in the waters of Korsnäs and Suurhiekka with a combined output of about 1,000 megawatts.
     
The proportion of wind power in the Finnish electricity mix could rise to about ten per cent, from the present 0.2 per cent.
      Meanwhile, smaller companies are planning the construction of smaller installations on land. Current plans add up to a combined 350 megawatts of output.
     
As Finland is not one of the world’s large producers of wind energy, no companies have been set up here that would be significant overall suppliers of the equipment.
      Perhaps the most successful Finnish company in benefiting from the worldwide wind energy boom is the Jyväskylä-based Moventas, which recently announced in its semi-annual review that demand for turbine switches is very heavy in the world today.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 30.8.2008


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Poll: Most Finns willing to bear costs of fighting climate change (22.2.2008)
  Renewable energy targets pose problems for cities (25.2.2008)

HEIKKI AROLA / Helsingin Sanomat
heikki.arola@hs.fi