Finnish Government to promote offshore wind power with an action plan

A national working group examining the competitive advantages of offshore wind power compiled recommendations for state actors to develop the operating environment in its report completed in August. The working group proposes that Finland clarify the targets for offshore wind power construction over a sufficiently long period of time, improve national coordination and more effectively harmonise maritime activities.

The working group listed proposals for measures primarily for 2024–2026 and proposes, among other things, that the Finnish government take the following measures through the ministries responsible for them

  • Goal-orientation: Setting long-term offshore wind energy targets and improving the predictability of competitive tendering.
  • Co-operation: Establish an offshore wind coordination group; ensure cooperation between ports in order to develop the infrastructure needed by the offshore wind sector and take advantage of EU funding opportunities; establish common offshore wind planning principles with Sweden; and produce maritime information for area use planning.
  • Obligations: Stipulate offshore wind decommissioning and restoration obligations and reduce real estate tax on offshore wind farms in territorial waters, which is currently not competitive with onshore wind power.
  • Rights: Develop collateral arrangements related to the rights of offshore wind energy developments in the EEZ.
  • Flexibility: Explore possibilities for making the water permit process more flexible; promote the possibilities for the placement of submarine cables; develop information systems to streamline administrative processes; and develop procedures to connect large projects to the main national maintained by Fingrid
  • Research: Ensure the operating conditions for fishing; examine the impacts of offshore wind power construction on marine organisms; increase environmental information on marine biodiversity.

The working group to examine approaches to creating competitive advantages for offshore wind power construction in Finland was appointed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in October 2023. The working group published its report on 20 August 2024. Metsähallitus participated in the work of the group.

Further information:

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment press release:
https://tem.fi/en/-/action-plan-to-promote-offshore-wind-power-has-been-published

Working group report:
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-327-543-0