The Swedish government has made several high-profile decisions regarding its offshore wind future. It first granted permission to the Poseidon project and then nixed 13 offshore projects citing the country’s security concerns. Poseidon is set to become the first wind farm in Sweden which will be developed off Stenungsund on the west coast using floating wind technology. It will be able to deliver up to 5.5 TWh annually. The government decision was in line with requirements from the Swedish Maritime Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency, the Swedish Armed Forces, and fishing organisations. The final design of the wind farm also must be done in consultation with the Swedish Armed Forces. The rest of the projects, however, were not that fortunate. A total of 13 offshore wind projects – Arkona, Aurora, Baltic Offshore Beta, Baltic Offshore Delta North, Cirrus, Swell, Erik Segersäll, Neptune, Pleione, Skidbladner, Skåne, Southern Victoria, and Triton – were not granted permission. “Based on the Armed Forces’ documentation, the government believes that [granting the permissions] would lead to unacceptable consequences for Sweden’s military defence. In the serious security policy situation Sweden now finds itself in, with war in our immediate area, these interests must weigh heavily when judgments like this are made,” said Sweden’s defence minister Pål Jonson. The government stated that even though the country is reliant on fossil fuel, the 13 offshore wind projects could not get permission because the impact of the construction of those projects could impact the country’s defence ability. “The government has noted views from expert authorities, organisations, and individuals in these cases. However, the defence interest has weighed the most,” added Romina Pourmokhtari, the country’s climate and environment minister. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsOffshore Wind Sweden