Fingrid, Finland’s grid company, is planning five new connection points for offshore wind power, each with a capacity of 1,300 megawatts. However, the demand for offshore wind power connections has exceeded the available grid connections, and only 6,500 megawatts of new connections are available. Despite this limitation, Fingrid has strategically positioned the connection points near Raisio, Ulvila, Närpiö, Vaasa, and Raahe to ensure efficient construction of the main network.
Fingrid acknowledges that not all offshore wind projects can be realized and will prioritize implementation based on electricity demand and competitiveness of offshore wind power. There is currently a proposal to connect a large offshore wind farm to Inkoosee in Uudellemaa, but the Defense Forces have expressed concerns about wind power in the Gulf of Finland. Mikko Heikkilä, head of strategic network planning at Fingrid, explains that the grid system can only withstand a maximum power fluctuation of 1,300 megawatts per connection. However, consumption points such as hydrogen plants could potentially be connected to the same point for additional power supply.
Offshore wind projects in Finnish territorial waters and economic zones are managed by Metsähallitus and have already seen multiple project developers planning power plants with ongoing environmental impact assessments. A law is forthcoming on how offshore wind rights will be distributed starting next year to ensure fair competition among project developers. Despite growth predictions in electricity consumption in Finland over the next decade or so, offshore wind power projects remain more costly to build compared to onshore projects. Therefore, onshore projects might see more development in Eastern Finland if there are no interference with research activities by the Finnish Defense Forces.
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