Press release 28 May 2008
Ministry of the Environment

Go-ahead for wind power at Stora Middelgrund

The Government has granted approval for a wind farm at Stora Middelgrund in the Kattegatt. The wind farm will triple Swedish wind power production compared with the present level. The decision sets out conditions to ensure the environment is protected.

Universal Wind Offshore AB has applied for approval to establish a wind farm at Stora Middelgrund in the Swedish economic zone. Stora Middelgrund lies some 30 km west of the Halland coast parallel with Halmstad. The wind farm has an estimated annual capacity of 3 TWh of electricity. This is twice as much as the country´s total electricity production from wind power in 2007.

"We are seeing record growth in investments in wind power. We are now working to catch up in an area where Sweden has fallen behind and that has been neglected much too long. Investments in wind power are crucial as part of the EU mission for the climate and renewable energy," says Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren.

The Government is now granting approval for the wind farm, which will consist of a maximum of 108 wind turbines with a total height of no more than 200 metres and an installed output of approximately 860 MW. The wind farm will be spread across an area of approximately 60 km2 and the wind turbines themselves will take up an area of 0.15 km2.

The decision sets out conditions to ensure the environment is protected. The company has to consult the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the county administrative board about the placement of each individual wind turbine. Construction is not allowed to start until approval has been received from the county administrative board. The company is also required to investigate the impact of the facility on seabed fauna, marine mammals, birdlife, fish stocks and fishing.