OX2, a renewable energy company based in Sweden, has received a Natura 2000 permit for its Triton offshore wind farm, which it is developing, along with Ingka Investments, in the Baltic Sea, 14 miles off the coast of Skane, in southern Sweden.
Natura 2000 is a network of protected breeding and resting sites for Europe’s most valuable and threatened species, which also includes some natural habitats. The world’s largest group of protected areas, it spans all 27 states in the European Union, on land and at sea. Being granted a Natura 2000 permit means that the project is abiding by a series of environmental rules.
In June the County Administrative Board of Skane recommended the government grant Triton a permit, according to the Act on Sweden’s Exclusive Economic Zone. If the government gives final approval to the project, construction could start by 2027 and operation could begin by 2030.
The Triton wind farm has an installed capacity of up to 1.5 GW. The annual electricity generation is estimated to about 7 TWh, which corresponds to about half of the electricity consumption in Skane.
“We are very happy to see the fast pace of the authorities’ handling of the applications,” says Emelie Zakrisson, head of development of offshore wind in Sweden, OX2. “In parallel we have initiated the application for a concession to connect to the grid and signed agreements with several major suppliers.”
Triton is one of three projects that OX2 is developing together with Ingka Investments in Sweden. The other two are Galene on the west coast, which recently was approved by the government, and Aurora between the islands Gotland and Oland, which is scheduled to go before the Gotland County Administrative Board.
All of OX2’s projects should be nature-positive by 2030. For Triton that means, among other things, improving the living conditions for cod. According to Zakrisson, the company is also investigating ways to protect the shoreline from erosion.
Image by wolkeblau from Pixabay.
