The Skåne County Administrative Board in Sweden has recommended approval for Orsted’s 1500MW Skåne offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea.
The board stated that it believes the offshore wind farm is eligible for a permit and has now sent the matter to the Swedish government for a final decision.
The authority also approved of the Danish developer’s environmental impact statement for the project despite potential issues with the views of the Swedish Armed Forces, which have been left to the government to resolve.
The Skåne offshore wind farm is located 22km south of Ystad and Trelleborg and is expected to be operational in 2029.
It will produce around seven terrawatt hours of electricity annually, corresponding to half of Skåne’s electricity use today.
The investment cost for the project is estimated to be between SEK 25–50bn.
Orsted development project director in Sweden Jesper Kühn Olesen said: “Now we hope that the government can quickly decide on a permit so that we can start building and be in operation in 2029.
“Skåne offshore wind farm is an important investment, both for Ørsted and for society at large.
“Through a sharp increase in Scania’s electricity production, we want to contribute to climate change, help lower electricity prices and enable the large industrial investments planned in southern Sweden.
“We are keen that offshore wind power should be able to coexist with the Swedish Armed Forces.
“For that reason, we are open to adapting our project so that it meets the needs and interests of the defense.
“Conditional permits can be a way forward here – we would like to see industry and defense working together to define and deliver the technical solutions needed.”