Swedish county backs offshore wind after policy reversal

The County Administrative Board of Skane has reversed course on offshore wind at the proposed Sjollen site in the Oresund Strait, backing its designation as a national interest area for offshore wind power after previously opposing the idea.

The board said the shift reflects a reassessment of priorities as electricity demand in southern Sweden keeps rising, and it now supports all offshore wind areas proposed by the Swedish Energy Agency for national interest status, including Sjollen. "The need for a strengthened electricity supply in Skane has increased. We are therefore making a new assessment in which we value the energy issue higher than before," said county governor Peter Danielsson.

Previous studies suggest a wind farm at Sjollen could produce as much as 1.3TWh a year — roughly the combined annual consumption of about 10 smaller municipalities in Skane — and the board said the site could play a meaningful role in regional energy planning. Its future, however, remains uncertain: the developer studying Sjollen has paused work because of current market conditions.

The Swedish Energy Agency has proposed Sjollen and other offshore areas in Skane for national interest designation as part of longer-term planning to meet Sweden's projected electricity demand of at least 300TWh by 2045. The board's revised view will now feed into future permitting and environmental assessments, where offshore wind will be weighed against other public interests in the area. "A wind power project at Sjollen probably has good opportunities for connection to the electricity grid, and in previous contexts, the Armed Forces have taken a positive view of offshore wind power in the area. Therefore, we see that Sjollen has great potential to contribute to achieving regional energy policy goals," said Rima Dauod, a department head at the board.