Finland to launch competitive tender for two offshore wind projects

On 23 November 2023, the Finnish government adopted a resolution to launch a tendering procedure for five offshore wind projects

With the resolution adopted, Metsähallitus, the state-owned enterprise that manages Finnish water resources, is launching a process to select developers for an initial two offshore wind projects. A competitive tendering procedure will be launched later this year for offshore wind projects off Närpiö and off Pyhäjoki and Raahe on the west coast of Finland. Implementation of the process for the three remaining areas will be confirmed in 2024, Riviera Maritime said.

The tender process for the first two projects is expected to take approximately 12 months. The project partners for the projects will be confirmed by the Finnish government after the tender process is completed.

The Edith project will be located in Närpiö sea area and the Ebba project in the sea areas off Pyhäjoki and Raahe. Both municipalities have approved the planning proposals for the projects, and preliminary studies launched by Metsähallitus are progressing.

The total planned capacity of the Edith and Ebba projects will be approximately 3.0 GW. The total investment will be €6.0-8.0Bn (US$5.2-6.9Bn). Once completed, the projects will produce up to 14 TWh of clean electricity annually, which is equivalent to more than 17% of Finland’s electricity consumption.

Metsähallitus director general Juha Niemelä said, “The government’s decision comes at a good time and is a concrete step forward in increasing offshore wind production in Finland at the beginning of the 2030s.”

The selection process will progress in phases. After submission of preliminary tenders, a number of potential partners will be selected to proceed to the next phase. These potential partners will then submit binding tenders, based on which developers of the projects will be selected.

In recent days, Metsähallitus and developer Vattenfall have agreed to expand the Korsnäs offshore windfarm, which will be the country’s first such project, to allow for an increased capacity.

Vattenfall was selected to partner with Metsähallitus for the Korsnäs project in December 2022. At the time that the transaction was completed, the parties agreed on an additional, optional area that could be developer. That area will now be developed, increasing the capacity of the project from 1.3 GW to 2.0 GW.