Ilmatar Offshore has secure a permit to research two potential offshore wind areas off Finland.
Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) has granted Ilmatar Offshore a research permit for two areas in Finland’s exclusive economic zone, which together comprise a total area of 700 sq km.
The granted permit applies to an area located about 30 km from Jakobstad and another area about 70 km south-west of Vaasa.
Ilmatar Offshore had previously announced that the development of these projects has been temporarily suspended.
Once the research permit has been granted, the work will continue and these areas will receive official project status, the developer said.
The projects located outside the coastal waters of Ostrobothnia have been given the names Voima (Kraft) and Norrskär in Ilmatar, and the areas covered by them are 323 sq km and 389 sq km, respectively.
“In our opinion, it should be self-evident and, in addition, in Finland’s interest that domestic operators operate in Finland’s exclusive economic zone areas.
“Only in this way can long-term value development and joint development work with Finnish industry be ensured,” said Juha-Pekka Weckström, Ilmatar’s new CEO.
Weckström, who was appointed to the position of Ilmatar’s CEO at the beginning of the year, added: “In our opinion, it should be self-evident and, in addition, in Finland’s interest that domestic operators operate in Finland’s exclusive economic zone areas.
“Ilmatar has on several occasions played a pioneering role in the field of renewable energy.
“For example, we were the first in the Nordic countries to build wind farms on land completely without subsidies.
“Now we are taking a strategic step and become the leading independent electricity producer (IPP) in the Nordic countries.”