Concern about Russia

Sweden: Wind farms by the sea are a safety risk

Bad times for the energy transition? Sweden is putting major infrastructure projects for power generation on hold due to concerns about Russia.

(Bild: agrarmotive - stock.adobe.com)

After undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were recently damaged again by a ship, the Swedish military is now sounding the alarm on another matter. Planned offshore wind farms for power generation could entail "unacceptable risks".

"We currently see no technical solutions or legal requirements for the coexistence of defense interests and wind energy in the Baltic Sea," the army stated on Wednesday. Due to the "severely deteriorated security situation" as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine, no compromises should be made in terms of national defense.

Permission denied for the time being
At the beginning of November, the Swedish government refused planning permission for 13 offshore wind farms off the Swedish Baltic coast and near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad due to the potential impact on defense capabilities.

The turbines could cause radar echoes and other forms of interference. According to Defense Minister Pal Johnson, this could delay the detection of incoming cruise missiles from Kaliningrad and halve the warning time to 60 seconds.

Warning of "unacceptable risks"
The Swedish armed forces have now specified that, in their opinion, all offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea pose potential security risks. "It would pose unacceptable risks to the defense of our country and our allies," the army stated.

"Our ability to detect incoming threats against Sweden and our allies is critical. Our sensor chain plays a critical role in this and must be able to operate at the highest possible capability."

Tensions in the region have intensified since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The previously neutral states of Sweden and Finland joined NATO as a result. With the exception of Russia, all countries bordering the Baltic Sea are now members of the defense alliance. At the same time, the demand for - predominantly renewable - energy in the Baltic Sea region is also growing.