Wind Energy – Sweden
The County Administrative Board has recommended that the government grant a permit for part of the offshore wind farm Västvind, located in the sea outside Gothenburg.
The County Administrative Board is handling the part of the project that is located the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“It is very positive that the County Administrative Board clearly points to the need for increased electricity production in Western Sweden as a decisive reason for granting a permit for the wind farm. If the government wants to safeguard Western Sweden’s development in terms of jobs, competitiveness, and the future of industry, it has every opportunity to grant a permit for Västvind,” says Per Witalisson, CEO of Eolus.
In parallel, the Land and Environment Court is processing the application for the part of the wind farm located within Swedish territorial waters. Ultimately, it is the government that will make the final decision on whether Västvind may be built.
In its decision, the County Administrative Board excludes a significant portion of the project area in the EEZ due to safety distances required for shipping. However, the decision also states that there may be opportunities to approve a larger area if changes are made to shipping regulations.
The County Administrative Board emphasizes that it is not the authority responsible for that issue.
“We now assume that both authorities and policymakers will take this forward to find constructive solutions for coexistence between electricity generation and shipping. We believe it is up to the government to set requirements for both the shipping sector and other stakeholders to cooperate in order to enable coexistence,” says Ylva Sörqvist Hultgren, Eolus project manager for Västvind.
