Green light for giant wind power project
The Swedish government has approved the construction of one of the biggest wind power projects in Europe — the 1100 windmill park outside Piteå in northern Sweden.
The Markbygdens Wind Power project, which is developed by Svevind, will be one of the biggest on-shore wind power parks in Europe. It includes 1100 windmills and will produce up to 12 TWh. The park covers an area of about 450 square kilometers located west of the town of Piteå in northern Sweden, the company informs on its website.
-This is a very important project for Swedish industry, Swedish Minister of Environment Andreas Carlgren stresses, Swedish Radio reports. The project will quadruple Sweden’s wind power production and equals the generation from two average Swedish nuclear reactors, the minister adds.
The project will cost about 6.9 billion USD to build and could be completed within 12-15 years.
The windmill plans have however not only been met by support. Local municipalities have demanded compensation for the use of their lands and reindeer herding Saami communities argue that the project could hamper their pasture lands.
Seventy-five percent of Markbygden Vind AB is owned by Svevind Holding, a company with extensive experience in wind farm technology. The other twenty-five percent of the company is owned by the German company Enercon, which is one of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers.
Sweden has one of the most ambitious clean energy policies in Europe. It seeks to produce 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources within the next ten years.
