13 planned offshore wind farms are being stopped by the government – because they allegedly threaten Sweden’s security and the Swedish Armed Forces’ operations in the area.
– The Government considers that building the projects in question in the Baltic Sea area would have unacceptable consequences for Sweden’s military defense, Minister of Defense Pål Jonson (M) said during a press conference.
Only one of the 14 proposed wind farms is approved by the government – the others are denied permission and will thus not become reality, with reference to national security and defense capabilities.
– The only responsible thing to do is not to expand wind power in the Baltic Sea area, Jonson continues, with Energy Minister Ebba Busch (KD) describing the decision as “difficult“.
The government says no to 13 offshore wind farms in a large part of the southern and central Baltic Sea.
The government agrees with the Swedish Armed Forces, which believes that the wind turbines risk having a negative impact on military surveillance systems and signals intelligence, as well as affecting the sensors used by the Armed Forces.
“Cannot be compensated”
According to Sweden’s Minister of Defense, the wind turbines also risk making it more difficult to detect both enemy submarines and air strikes.
– Both ballistic missiles and cruise missiles are a major problem when you have offshore wind power.
In other countries, such as Poland, radar or sonar systems are usually placed in the wind farms to compensate for the disturbances that occur – but according to Pål Jonson, this is not possible in Sweden.
– It cannot be compensated as the military geography looks right now, he says.
The wind farm that is nevertheless approved will be located outside Stenungsund in Bohuslän.
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