The northern energy areas
The northern energy areas within the maritime spatial plan cover an area of 674 km², theoretically accommodating up to 340 wind turbines. When fully developed with 12 MW wind turbines, the total potential power capacity amounts to 4 GW, with an annual energy production of 20 TWh. This production is approximately equivalent to 30% of Finland's current electricity production. As technology advances rapidly, turbine sizes are expected to increase, further enhancing the development potential.
The northern energy areas offer favourable conditions for the development of large-scale offshore wind farms based on the consultation responses to the maritime spatial plan and the analyses in the LUT report. The potential of these areas is based on the following factors:
- Excellent geographical location
- Size
- Generally favourable wind conditions
- The position between two markets with growing renewable energy demands
- Manageable distances for connections: 75 km to the Finnish coast and 120 km to the Swedish coast
Discussions are being held about the sea traffic area that divides the two northern energy areas. By relocating the sea traffic area, a unified area consisting of approximately 1000 km² can be established, further expanding the production potential and distance from the coast.
A possible scenario of relocating the sea traffic area.
