The Swedish government has decided to give permission to Galene and Vattenfall Syd to build and operate two wind farms outside Sweden’s territorial waters off Varberg and Falkenberg respectively.
‘We are now giving the green light for the construction of two new offshore wind farms along the west coast, outside Varberg and Falkenberg. In total, it is about a hundred wind turbines that will contribute fossil-free electricity in a region with strong growth and a great need for new and clean energy,’ Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has announced.
Kattegat Syd, which will be built about 25km west of Falkenberg, includes up to 80 wind turbines in an area of 122 square kilometers. Galene, which will be built about 21km west of Varberg, includes up to 21 wind turbines in an area of 42 square kilometers. The two wind farms, when fully active, will be able to supply up to 6.5 TWh of electricity per year.
The government decision on this new rapid approval for offshore wind farms has come as a shock to coastal fishermen.
‘I am totally appalled. Not a word from the government,’ Peter Ronelöv Olsson, chairman of the Swedish Fishermen’s PO has been quoted as saying.
‘Our predecessors have fished here for a thousand years. With just one stroke of a pen, you erase the entire fishing in the Kattegatt, the entire Halland fishing and the entire coastal culture,’ he said, commenting that every possibility to appeal the decision will be explored.
Other fishermen in the region have stated that this is the end for their businesses and way of life as commercial fishermen.
‘We are in a difficult energy situation,’ commented Minister of Energy and Industry Ebba Busch.
‘Households and businesses have had a tough time, not least during the past winter. We are now gearing up to face the coming winter. But in order to get out of the energy crisis in the long term, there are no quick ways forward – we need to rebuild a robust electricity system again.’
