Derisking offshore wind potential as seabed intelligence sheds more light on Finland’s ‘key prospective’ leasing areas to unleash 6 GW of power 

Given the fast-increasing popularity of offshore wind developments within the growing decarbonization push toward renewable and clean power in the energy transition era to a net zero future, Global Maritime’s Geosciences department, GM Geo, has launched a geological, geohazard, and geotechnical desktop study, covering up to 6 GW of offshore wind leasing areas in the Gulf of Bothnia off the coast of Finland. 

The marine, offshore, and engineering consultancy’s move comes in the wake of seabed intelligence reports (SIR), covering the UK Celtic Sea, Irish Celtic Sea, and Portugal Atlantic, with Finland’s competitive leasing process expected to kick off in early 2025.

The study spans all eight prospective leasing zones – Ebba, Närpiö, Hailuoto, Siikajoki, Kristiinankaupunki, Pietsaari, Luoto, and Uusikarlepyy – and delivers insight into seabed conditions and geohazards. Global Maritime said that developers eyeing early-stage projects or positioning themselves for the upcoming Gulf of Bothnia leasing round will benefit from the report’s analysis of geological and geotechnical conditions across these sites.2

Jordan Geear, Global Business Lead Engineering Geology, added, “Global Maritime’s Finland SIR provides a wealth of information on marine activities, seabed constraints and ground conditions for key prospective offshore wind power areas within the Gulf of Bothnia. 

“Understanding potential seabed and geo-constraints within these areas, including those associated with potentially complex, glaciogenic ground conditions, will be essential to inform early risk management for these sites. In addition, an early understanding of potential foundation suitability will assist in achieving Finland’s goal of 6.5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030.”

The report assesses key seabed strata and conditions, evaluating risks and implications for offshore wind farm development. The study divides the zones into provinces with similar geological traits, offering a clearer picture for developers during the engineering process. It also assesses subsea infrastructure risks, proposes risk mitigation strategies, and considers the impacts of marine traffic, seabed wrecks, infrastructure, and environmental designations on offshore wind project development.

Detailed maps included in the report are interpreted to provide spatial data and interpretations, aiding developers in identifying optimal sites within the Gulf’s leasing areas. With competitive leasing on the horizon, this study is presented by Global Maritime as a strategic advantage for those looking to develop offshore wind farms in Finnish waters.

“The picture around leasing offshore Finland is clearing with the anticipated enactment of an Economic Zone Offshore Wind Power Act in January 2025,” said Gareth Ellery, Director of Geosciences.

“This important step then clears the way for leasing processes which are anticipated to commence directly afterwards. Following the success of previous SIR’s, Global Maritime have acted once again to provide early seabed intelligence to developers interested in the Finnish offshore wind, and to accelerate the development of offshore wind in an interesting new market.”

In March 2020, Global Maritime secured a contract from Equinor to provide marine warranty survey services for the Hywind Tampen floating offshore wind project in the Norwegian North Sea. Once operational, the wind farm was set to supply a third of the energy needs for the Gullfaks and Snorre oil and gas platforms, replacing gas power with wind energy.