New floating wind farm would sail 147 turbines to power half of Stockholm

Swedish greentech company Eolus has just applied for a new 2.2 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind farm permit. To be called the Skidbladner offshore wind farm, the new farm is planned to comprise up to 147 wind turbines.

If the Swedish government approves the permit, it will be sited around 12.4 miles (20 km) north of Gotska Sandön. According to Eolus, the estimated output of 11.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year from the project will be enough to meet half the power needs of Stockholm.

It will also provide around ten times the electrical needs for Gotland. The turbines will have a maximum height of 360 meters, and the entire farm will cover an area of roughly 540.5 square miles (1,400 km2).

According to Eolus, the farm should be operational by 2033, subject to approval.

New Eolus wind farm could power half of Stockholm

“Given the enormous need for new electricity production in Sweden, offshore wind power will need to be expanded gradually over many years to come. A wind farm of this size would therefore make a significant contribution to the Swedish electricity supply,” says Per Witalisson, CEO of Eolus.

Eolus is planning to build several offshore wind farms in Swedish waters. Two of these farms, Skidbladner and Herkules, are in the Swedish economic zone off Gotland.

Founded in 1990, Eolus has spent the last 30 years innovating and developing customized energy solutions. Their primary focus is on renewable technologies like solar and wind.

Together, they have the potential to supply Sweden with 4.6 GW of installed capacity and produce approximately 25 TWh of electricity per year.

Skidbladner marks an important milestone: the application has been submitted to the Government. The planned turbines will be mounted on floating foundations anchored to the seabed.

“The goal is for Gotland to have a completely renewable energy system by 2040, and initiatives like the Skidbladner offshore wind farm fit very well into that plan,” says Lars Thomsson, coordinator of Energy Island Gotland.

Getting Gotland green by 2040

The Skidbladner wind farm area is approximately 62 miles (100 km) southeast of Stockholm. The farms’ planned capacity will, according to Eolus, provide enough electricity to power millions of households. So much so, in fact, that roughly half of Stockholm County’s current electricity consumption could be met.

“One advantage of floating wind power is that it can be placed further out from the coast where wind conditions are even better and the visual impact is minimal,” says Anna Lundsgård, head of offshore wind power at Eolus.

“Eolus was a pioneer when we started as a wind power developer in the 90s. Now we look forward to being among the first to realize floating wind power in the Baltic Sea,” she added.

The Skidbladner project was once part of a joint venture with Irish floating offshore wind developer Simply Blue Group. Eolus later agreed to take full ownership earlier this year.

According to a recent report by RenewableUK , Sweden has one of the largest offshore wind pipelines, with a capacity of 68 GW.