Offshore wind power brings huge opportunities for Finland – ports and logistics should take action

Finland has set itself the goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. The significant growth of wind power plays a major role in achieving this goal.

Tuukka Rautiainen, Business Director of Sweco’s subsidiary Gaia Consulting: ”Finland is already a strong wind power country.”

-By the end of 2022, 1,300 wind turbines had been built in Finland.

-Their combined nominal output is 3.5 times the output of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, i.e. approximately 5.7 gigawatts

Orientation to the sea

The trend in the Baltic Sea region and elsewhere in the world is that new wind power construction is concentrating on the sea.

-Wind conditions are excellent

-The location of wind farms has good landscape and functional conditions

Offshore wind – huge opportunities

Finland is well positioned to share in the growth of offshore wind power. Looking at current project plans, offshore wind power capacity off the Finnish coast could be increased  by more than 10 GW by 2035.

-The increase would mean investments of more than EUR 2.0 billion, of which approximately 40% could remain in Finland.

-The annual economic impact would be calculated in thousands of person-years, and tax revenues would also be substantial.

”Building offshore wind power would also lay the foundation for exporting renewable electricity, Finnish technology and know-how. Finland traditionally has solid expertise in Arctic conditions and operating at sea,”  continues Mikko  Helminen, Development and Project Manager for Sweco’s maritime green transition.

Time to act

In order to be able to make actual investments in offshore wind power, logistics and, for example, ports must be prepared to handle the construction and operation of power plants. ”Creating a concentration of offshore wind power is already becoming urgent”, comment both Helminen and Rautiainen.

Utilising the potential of offshore wind power requires high-quality planning and extensive cooperation with various parties

In the past, offshore wind clusters have emerged especially in Denmark, Norway, Germany and the UK.

Tuukka Rautiainen: ”In Finland, we also have all the prerequisites for future success:

-Growth-oriented and growth-capable companies

-Innovative solutions

-Skilled workforce for different stages of the value chain

-Cooperation between different actors, actively seeking new innovations.”

Offshore wind power – in practice

The need for cooperation and planning becomes concrete when the needs created by offshore wind power are examined, for example. logistics and port areas.

”The design, construction and competitive operation of offshore wind farms and related systems and facilities require us to support our unprecedented port and terminal areas.”

Figures:
-The rotation diameter of the turbine blades can be up to 270 meters
-Foundations can weigh between 1,500 and 7,000 tons
-The diameter of the foundations is about 35 meters.

”In addition, we need partners in ports for technical solutions and systems, as well as deliveries, storage, pre-treatment, transport, installation and maintenance operations.”

Starting inverting in Offshore wind power

Getting involved in the growth of offshore wind power requires investments in, for example: large areas of land and support activities supporting the construction and operation of offshore wind farms”, Helminen and Rautiainen continue.

Clean energy and export products. The success of offshore wind power would bring benefits to Finland in three ways:

-The share of renewable energy would increase further
-Renewable electricity generation would allow growth in otherindustrial sectors
-Offshore wind power expertise and related solutions may become sought-after export products.

In practice, exports could come from, for example, new foundation solutions or special vessels needed in construction and maintenance.

”In any case, offshore wind power is growing in the Baltic Sea region. Finland should seize this opportunity big and together so that we can participate in the development and preferably at the forefront of it.”

Mikko Helminen is Sweco’s development and project manager for the maritime green transition.
Tuukka Rautiainen is Business Director of Sweco’s subsidiary Gaia Consulting

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