Ebba Offshore Wind Farm
The project area, which is administratively part of the municipalities of Pyhäjoki and Raahe, is owned by the state. The area has been reserved for wind power production in the Marine Spatial Plan and in the draft Energy and Climate Regional Plan for North Ostrobothnia. The planned offshore wind project in the area has an estimated capacity of 1400 MW. The aim is that electricity production can start in the 2030s. The Ebba project is part of the offshore wind projects developed by Metsähallitus in its territorial waters. Metsähallitus' total project development potential in regional waters is over 10 000MW.
Developing commercial activities for state-owned areas is an elementary part of Metsähallitus’ role. Therefore, we complete preliminary surveys of offshore wind farm sites and, on this basis, select areas for commercial project preparation.
Optimal conditions for wind power production
The planned offshore wind farm area in Pyhäjoki and Raahe is well suited for energy production. The water depth is mostly 15 to 40 metres, and there are excellent wind conditions in the area. The needs of maritime logistics and the Defence Forces were also addressed when selecting the project area.
Preliminary preparations of the project also include obtaining a permit for leasing state-owned lands from the central government.
As part of the preparatory work, we have also initiated discussions with the national grid operator Fingrid, ensuring that the wind power can be transmitted to the electricity grid once offshore power generation starts.
Project development is simultaneously progressing on other fronts, such as wind measurements in the area, seabed soundings and environmental surveys.
Competitive tendering for project and lease rights
An international tendering process was launched in autumn 2023 to select a partner to construct and operate the Pyhäjoki-Raahe offshore wind farm. We expect that the tendering process including all stages and negotiations will take the whole year 2024.
The partner to be selected – a company or consortium – will purchase project rights and lease rights to the site and continue to develop the project as agreed in the contract.
The tendering process or project development does not include any financial support to the operator, and all current offshore wind power projects will proceed on fully commercial basis.
Other permits
The partner to be selected in the tendering process will continue the permit processes of the project, which will take from five to seven years to complete in Finland. After this, the partner can build the wind turbines. The construction phase takes two to three years. The offshore wind farm will be completed in the early 2030s.
Metsähallitus’ role
Rather than engaging in actual energy production, after the initial project phase Metsähallitus will remain in the role of the site lessor.
Metsähallitus is responsible for managing and developing state-owned land and water areas. The income from these activities is entered as revenue in the state budget.
Contact information
Sami Piippo
Project Director
Puh. +358405875428
Mikko Tolkkinen
Specialist, Wind Energy
Puh. +358405479556
Kukka-Maaria Kallio
Offshore Wind Power Specialist
Puh. +358503100485