The Swedish government has cancelled 13 offshore wind projects with a total capacity of almost 32 GW, arguing that these projects would lead to “unacceptable consequences for Sweden’s military defence” and decided to categorically close an entire area in the Baltic Sea for offshore wind generation. Wind Europe says that this has happened unexpectedly without a proper assessment and that private investments of up to €47bn could be lost; that it is a setback for Sweden’s offshore wind ambitions and puts Sweden’s industrial competitiveness at risk.
The affected offshore wind developers include major developers Ørsted, RWE, and Statkraft. Most of their projects were at an early development stage. Together, says Wind Europe, they could have more than doubled Sweden’s current electricity generation capacity.
“A ban on offshore wind development in large parts of the Baltic Sea is unheard of. This makes no sense, not least when all the other countries around the Baltic Sea want to build more offshore wind and are progressing well on it”, said Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope.
Despite its large coastline in the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat offshore wind deployment in Sweden has been stalling for years. Today Sweden has only 0.2 GW of offshore wind farms, a fraction of the 2.6 GW developed in Danish waters.
According to the Swedish Wind Energy Association over 100 GW of offshore wind projects were in various stages of development in 2024. Many of these projects are being developed around the South of Sweden where the demand for renewable electricity is particularly high and set to rapidly grow further.
According to Wind Europe the Swedish military has been blocking offshore wind projects for years. The other governments around the Baltic Sea have chosen a totally different approach – they have established joint formats between the offshore wind industry and the military to enhance understanding and to develop solutions that work for both partners.
WindEurope is currently working with NATO and European Defence Agency to address the concerns raised by the Swedish government and its military. This includes the ‘Symbiosis’ project which aims to support the coexistence of offshore renewable energy projects and defence operations in European maritime spaces.
“European Governments mustn’t fall for the Russian intimidation and interference with energy policies. Offshore wind means more energy security and less dependence on Russian energy imports. Russia wants the EU’s successful transition to cheap and local renewables to fail. But let’s be clear: offshore wind can coexist happily with military activity”, says Giles Dickson.
Weaknesses of open-door system exposed
Wind Europe says that another reason for this extensive cancellation is the Swedish approach to offshore wind development, the so-called ‘open-door’ system. In the EU only Italy and Sweden are using it to develop offshore wind farms. These systems are more prone to conflicts with other users of the sea space, because offshore wind developers undertake initial project development without taking them into account.
“Sweden already has an extremely cumbersome approach to offshore wind development and the government has been unwilling to provide financial support to offshore wind for years. But yesterday’s cancellations completely undermine investment security. Investors will now think twice before developing offshore wind in Sweden, particularly when neighbouring countries offer better and more reliable approaches to offshore wind development”, says Giles Dickson.
