As part of the Swedish plans to build out offshore wind projects, the Swedish Maritime and Water Management Agency has been tasked to identify and update the maritime spatial plan for offshore wind energy areas. The new plan has now been submitted to the government and presents 23 areas as suitable. Although not specifying the capacity potential of each site, the sites have the combined  conditions for an annual production of 120 TWh from offshore wind power.

The new proposed plan, noticeably, does not include any proposed development areas off the coast of central Sweden, where the 13 rejected projects last November were located. Several other projects are in the area, and if the new plan is approved, they may find it difficult to attain the necessary permits.

The halt on projects in the Baltic Sea was due to security concerns, and to give the Swedish Armed Forces the conditions to deal with the changed security situation. Based on the government decision, the Swedish Defense Forces assesses that there are currently no conditions for new energy areas in the Baltic Sea proper. The areas that already have permits for offshore wind power in the Baltic Sea will remain.

Most of the sites proposed in the new plan are located on the west and northeast coasts. Sweden has in the last years seen significant interest from developers, and the new areas overlap with several already proposed projects. It is, however, specified that the interest of different stakeholders will be tested in the new areas, meaning that not all the sites will be developed.

Until the government decides on the new maritime plans, the maritime plans decided in 2022 will apply.

Image credit: Havs-och vattenmyndigheten, Natural Earth