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Kriegers flak, a base area located about 30 kilometers south of Trelleborg, is located in the economic zone between Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

Vattenfall has been planning a large wind farm here for a long time. Now it has finally received the go-ahead from the government.

According to Annika Strandhäll, one of the reasons for the delay is that parts of Krieger’s flatbeds have been classified as a so-called Natura 2000 area.

“Complex process”

– It has been a complex process. Applications for a Natura 2000 permit have also been granted in a nearby part. There were also parts of it that needed to be sorted out, says Annika Strandhäll.

– The balance has of course been made by our authorities, to what extent this Natura 2000 park would be affected by the construction. But the assessment is that you should be able to do it without it interfering.

According to Annika Strandhäll, the wind farm will have an annual capacity of 2.3–2.8 TWh.

– This corresponds to as much as 20 percent of Skåne’s consumption today, or the annual consumption of household electricity corresponding to 500,000 Swedish villas, she says.

Vattenfall writes on its website that Krieger’s flatbed “may become the first modern offshore wind farm in Sweden.”

Higher works

On the Danish side, a wind farm with 72 plants was completed in the summer of 2021, according to Vattenfall. On the German side, a wind farm with 80 plants has been completed since 2015.

– I can really see it as if we need to catch up, says Minister of Climate and Environment Annika Strandhäll (S) to TT.

The government’s green light, which is a change to previous permits, means that Vattenfall may build higher wind turbines than was originally intended. The works may now have a total height of up to 280 meters instead of 170 meters.

The permit period has also been extended from 30 to 35 years.

According to Minister of Energy and Digitization Khashayar Farmanbar (S), this in turn means a more even electricity production.

– Now Krieger’s flatbeds can be built with the latest generation of wind turbines, he says.

– It can also be in operation for its entire technical life.

The government’s permit provides an opportunity for Vattenfall to build up to 72 wind turbines on the Swedish side of Krieger’s flatbed. But according to the Minister of Energy, Vattenfall estimates that 32 will be enough.

TT: Can you not see it as something of a failure from a Swedish perspective that we are so far behind?

– I can really see it as if we need to catch up, that’s it. Sweden has fantastic conditions for offshore wind power with our long coast and when I now look at the number of applications from investors who want to build this around Sweden, I see a huge potential to meet our energy needs in the future, says Annika Strandhäll.

Another strong contributing reason why Krieger’s flatbeds and other wind power projects have been delayed is the long processes for obtaining permits, which often take several years.

TT: You have had government power for almost eight years, could you not have done even more to shorten the permit processes during this time?

– You also have to remember one thing here that is important. If we look two years back in time, we had a fairly substantial surplus of electricity in this country, it was not the case that there was an immediate pressure to expand the type of energy in Sweden. What caused the pressure now is to a large extent partly that we are in the middle of a green revolution, where many of the new green industries require an enormous amount of electricity.

– That in combination with the energy crisis, where we talk about Putin as an underlying force in the war between Russia and Ukraine with the subsequent gas and oil crisis, that is what makes the issue end up so high on the agenda. But there I see that we are well equipped, among other things through the applications for offshore wind power that are on our table right now.

Vattenfall: The starting shot for Swedish offshore wind power

The government’s announcement is welcomed by Vattenfall. Investment decisions are not expected until 2025, first, among other things, bottom conditions must be checked. Unlike the government, Vattenfall says that the park can supply electricity in 2028, not 2027, if everything goes to lock.

– This is the starting shot for Swedish offshore wind power, says Helene Biström, head of Vattenfall’s wind power business area, to TT.

She does not want to comment on what it all costs, but according to current calculations, this type of project usually costs between SEK 20-30 million per megawatt, which means that the bill in this case would land at more than SEK 10 billion.