Helsingin Energia - Annual Report 2008

Suomen Merituuli Oy

Reservations made for building major offshore wind farms

In June 2008, Helsingin Energia and Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima Oy (EPV) established a joint venture, Suomen Merituuli Oy, to significantly increase offshore wind power production in Finland. Helsingin Energia and Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima Oy own the new company with an equal share.

Suomen Merituuli Oy is initially a development company by nature, with a task of creating the preconditions for wind power investments. The objective is to build two offshore wind farms of a significant size (500-1,000 MW) in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.

The company began to survey areas suitable for offshore wind farms, and in autumn 2008 it signed a reservation agreement with Metsähallitus on two sea areas for the building of wind farms. One of the areas is located in Siipyy in the Gulf of Bothnia, in the sea area between Kristiinankaupunki and Pori, and the other in Inkoo in the Gulf of Finland. The total reserved area amounts to about 50 square kilometres with a combined construction capacity for about 500 MW of wind power. It is estimated that wind power production in the reserved areas can be started in 2012-2014. The company will also continue searching for areas suitable for offshore wind power production in the current year.

In the year under review, the company launched actions related to the survey of wind conditions in the areas reserved for offshore wind power in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland. It also launched an investigation with Fingrid Oyj for connecting the projected offshore wind power to the national grid in Finland. Preparation for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the areas was started.