Plans are in the works to construct a huge offshore wind farm outside the Finnish city of Oulu. Finland’s second-largest power company, Pohjolan Voima, and Oulun Energia, a utility company owned by the city of Oulu, want to install up to 162 turbines in the Gulf of Bothnia.
This would generate between 500 and 800 megawatts of power, generating enough energy for more than 120,000 homes. Costs for the wind farm project may reach EUR 1.6 billion, but Finland, which lacks the fuel reserves of Norway and the hydropower potential of Sweden, is desperately seeking alternative forms of energy.
Power company Pohjolan Voima already has five smaller wind farms up and running in Finland, with a new larger wind farm on the way near Kemi. The power generation capacity from its existing wind farms is 14.3 megawatts so the planned offshore wind farm near Oulu would bring a major increase in energy production.
The project must first be approved by regional authorities before construction can begin. The closest windmills to the city of Oulu would be 15 km away so the company expects little resistance. WPD AG, a German company that develops wind generation sites, already has two applications under review for projects in Finland.
