Finland approves 40 MW offshore wind energy project

The Finnish government selected wind energy company Suomen Hyötytuuli Oy to build the country’s first offshore wind power project.

The offshore wind energy  project will be made up of 10 or so wind turbines, and could begin operating as soon as 2016.

The Government of Finland has announced the construction of a 40 MW offshore wind power project that will serve as a demonstrator to test the validity of offshore wind energy in the harsh conditions of the North.

We don’t normally cover “small-scale” renewable energy development unless there is some defining factor that makes the project special. Normally those defining factors relate to the economic development of the country in question, but in situations such as this, covering a country’s first steps into a new renewable energy market is important.

Another reason to cover this installation is the possible impact it will have on Finland’s European Union 2020 Target. A new report from the European Commission published in October concluded uncertainty over whether Finland would make its target.

With that in mind, movement on the 40–44 MW Pori Tahkoluoto wind farm to be located in the Baltic Sea is good news for Finland’s energy make-up — albeit still small news.