Sweden approves two offshore wind farms

Sweden’s government has approved two new offshore wind farms, Fyrskeppet in the southern Bothnian Sea and Vidar in the northern Skagerrak, state broadcaster SVT reports.

The projects are expected to produce up to 19 terawatt-hours of fossil-free electricity annually. A third onshore wind farm near Piteå has also been greenlit.

Eleven other applications for offshore wind projects in the Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, and western waters were rejected over concerns they would “unacceptably impact Sweden’s defence capabilities.”

The government additionally announced plans to introduce a new permitting process, shifting to an auction system where the state first designates suitable areas before developers compete for the right to build.