Building wind farms off the coast is quite pricey, but it will totally be worth the cost: winds out there are very strong and the potential for energy really high. One of the places that can boast with having this potential is in the Baltic Sea, near Sweden’s southeastern shores.
The country already has 6 wind farms, but none the size of a new upcoming project in Södra Midsjöbanken that is planned to produced 700 MW. It is expected to become one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.
The German Eon Nordic company is going for a €2.2 billion ($2.79 billion) investment, that will presumably be enough to build 180-230 wind turbines.
The company has set its stage starting last year, when it has gone about gathering data for the project: wind velocity, direction and wave height figures. Also, an environmental impact assessment and a permit with Swedish authorities have been looked for by the company.
Even though some details on the project have leaked, German company officials have kept it very hush-hush for the moment, probably in wait for the project to be approved.
Anyway, Sweden’s wind energy chapter stands up straight: 6 smaller, near-shore wind farms (5 of which run by Vattenfall) and 1 GW of permitted offshore wind power in addition to them. All it has to do now is wait for the wind to blow in their direction!
[via CleanTechnica]
