Offshore wind contractor Van Oord has taken a shareholding in Saare Wind Energy, which is developing the up to 1GW Saaremaa offshore wind project in Estonia.
Van Oord’s stake will enable Saare Wind Energy to “intensify the development process” for the offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea, by leveraging its financial support and knowledge.
Saare Wind Energy has “extensive knowledge” of local conditions and the environmental impact assessment.
Saare Wind Energy is developing an area up to 200 square km south-west of the Estonian island Saaremaa.
Development of the Saaremaa offshore wind project started in 2015.
In January 2020, Saare Wind Energy and Van Oord agreed to cooperate on the project, which has been supported by the Netherlands Embassy in Tallinn and the Estonian Investment Agency.
The Estonian government decided in May 2020 that Saare Wind Energy could proceed with the location permit procedure and the associated environmental impact assessment.
On 30 September 2020, the energy ministers of Poland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany and Sweden, along with representatives of European Commission signed the “Baltic declaration for offshore wind energy”.
The declaration is intended to bring about cooperation in the development of offshore wind power on the Baltic Sea.
Hybrid projects, comprising offshore wind farms in combination with interconnectors to neighbouring countries, are seen as critical developments in growing the region’s offshore electricity infrastructure.
The Saaremaa offshore wind farm location offers a “unique opportunity” for such a hybrid project.
Factors include good wind resources, an offshore wind location in line with the Marine Spatial Plan and the opportunity to develop interconnectors across the Baltic Sea to Sweden and Latvia.