Finland launches auction for 3 GW offshore wind projects

The government of Finland adopted, on November 23, a resolution regarding the launch of the tendering process for five offshore wind farm projects, two of which will start immediately.

Furthermore, the first two projects to go into tendering this year are the Edith and Ebba farms, which will be located off the country’s west coast. More specifically, Edith will be off the shore of Närpiö, while Ebba will be off Pyhäjoki and Raahe.

Both wind farms combined are scheduled to offer a power capacity of 3 GW, which is expected to produce up to 14 TWh annually, roughly equivalent to Finland’s 17% total electricity demand.

As for the cost, both projects together are budgeted between €6 billion and €8 billion.

Edith and Ebba will enter the tendering procedure in 2023, through Metsähallitus, the country’s state-owned resources management firm, and it is expected to conclude in 2024.

However, the government’s plan also includes the development of three more offshore wind farms, which will go into tendering in 2024.

With the addition of the three extra offshore wind projects, the total power capacity of all five farms is expected to reach 7.5 GW.

The tendering procedure is set to follow the offshore wind power auction model that was set by the government in 2021.

Finally, Metsähallitus had previously awarded Finland’s first offshore wind tender, which had a capacity of 1.3 GW, that was later raised to 2 GW.