Finnish offshore wind developer probing up to 500 MW extension project

Finland’s Suomen Hyötytuuli Oy is exploring the possibilities of expanding the 44.3 MW Tahkoluoto wind farm offshore Pori.

The extension project is in a preliminary study phase, with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure and the zoning about to begin, the developer said.

The proposed extension project would have a capacity of between 300 MW and 500 MW.

The wind farm would feature up to 45 wind turbines with an individual capacity of between 11 MW and 16 MW, installed across an area covering between 128 km2 and 135 km2.

The water depths in the area range from 10 metres to over 50 metres, the developer said. The proposed area is located some four kilometres off Tahkoluoto at its nearest point.

According to the preliminary timeline, Suomen Hyötytuuli plans to secure all of the necessary permits for the project by the first quarter of 2022.

The construction is expected to start in 2023 and the wind farm is scheduled to begin production in 2025.

The project will possibly feature gravity-based foundations similar to those installed on the existing Tahkoluoto wind farm. The developer has also reserved a possibility of using floating wind foundations at deeper positions within the selected area.

The extension wind farm will either feed the electricity to the grid via an offshore substation, or the electricity will be delivered directly onshore via a link in Tahkoluoto.

The existing Tahkoluoto wind farm is the world’s first offshore wind project built for icy conditions. The wind farm comprises one Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbine which has been in operation since 2010, and ten Siemens 4.2 MW wind turbines commissioned in 2017.