Skarta Energy plans major solar park in Tornio

Skarta Energy is planning a large solar park in Tornio, where an environmental impact assessment will examine effects on groundwater and nature. The assessment programme is open for public review, Yle reports.

The company presented its plans to residents on Wednesday. Questions included the use of private roads, whether people would still be able to use the area for recreation and the project’s effects on nature.

Project manager Aaro Hocksell said he was surprised by how much the former gravel pit at Laivakangas is used for recreation. Skarta Energy said it would agree on private-road use with the road owners and allow people to pass through the area.

The assessment will focus in particular on possible effects on groundwater. Hocksell said transformers pose the greatest risk if they use oil as insulation. Oil-insulated transformers could be fitted with collection trays, while oil-free dry transformers are a more expensive option.

Whether the project needs a water management permit will be determined during the environmental assessment.

Surveys have found no endangered animals in the area. The company looked for marsh frogs in a wetland but did not find any, and it has excluded a sand martin nesting area from the project. Surveys are still needed to establish whether the endangered Bothnian Bay wormwood grows there. The plants identified so far appear to be hybrids, Hocksell said. If the pure species is found, the company would need to apply for an exemption.

The assessment will also consider the so-called lake effect, in which waterbirds may mistake solar panels for a body of water.

If built, the park would cover about 80 hectares across five fenced sections and generate around 66 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 3,300 electrically heated detached houses. Construction could begin no earlier than 2028. The project is a 30 million euro investment, and the European Commission has awarded it 4.2 million euros in investment support.

Construction would provide hundreds of person-years of work, while the completed facility would employ a few people. The project would not depend on the planned Arctio North industrial area next door, where hydrogen and synthetic aviation fuel production are also proposed, Hocksell said. Those industries could become potential electricity buyers.

Tornio is facing a budget deficit and has begun measures to adjust its finances, including cooperation negotiations. The city is also considering several energy projects that could generate tax revenue if they go ahead. Mayor Jukka Kujala said wind power could bring in four million euros in property tax, while two solar parks could generate 800,000 euros. The city has not yet calculated the potential tax revenue from proposed hydrogen and synthetic aviation fuel investments.

Other energy projects under development in Tornio include wind farms, a solar power and battery storage project, hydrogen and synthetic fuel proposals, and data centres.