The Swedish government Monday rejected plans to build 13 offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea, citing defense risks such as potentially greater difficulties in detecting submarines and protecting national security.
Despite the fact that wind energy projects in the Baltic Sea would have contributed to Sweden’s clean energy generation, the country cannot afford to overlook its defense risks in the current situation with a war near Sweden, the government said .
Sweden recently joined NATO, having applied to become a member following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is also located on the Baltic Sea, which has prompted the Swedish government to reject applications for the thirteen planned offshore wind farms in Sweden’s Baltic waters.
The government, however approved one offshore wind energy project, Poseidon, on the west coast of the country, not on the Baltic Sea.
Explaining the rejection of the Baltic Sea projects, the government said it cannot allow these offshore wind farms “given the impact the facilities would have on defense interests.”
The Swedish Armed Forces have already expressed their concerns about the projects to build wind farms in the Baltic Sea, proverb that thousands of proposed wind turbines could jeopardize Sweden’s defense capabilities.
Based on the Swedish Armed Forces’ assessment, the government believes that offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea would lead to “unacceptable consequences” for Sweden’s military defense, according to Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson.
“In the serious security political situation that Sweden now finds itself in, with war in our immediate vicinity, the interests of national defense must weigh heavily when these types of judgments are made,” the minister added.
To achieve net-zero targets and other climate goals, Sweden is pushing for more nuclear energy. Last year, the Swedish parliament approved a new energy law that paves the way for the construction of additional nuclear reactors in addition to the ten originally approved to increase energy security and reduce CO2 emissions.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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