Finnish wind power capacity to exceed 8 GW this year
According to statistics compiled by the Finnish Wind Energy Association in June, wind power construction is still going strong. By early 2024, 60 power plants with a total capacity of 377 megawatts will have been built in Finland. Including the turbines to be completed in the rest of the year, a total of around 1 100 megawatts of new wind power capacity will be completed this year, bringing the country's total wind power capacity to more than 8 000 megawatts. In 2025, wind power production capacity is expected to be even higher than this year, at around 1,400 MW.
The year 2024 started on a positive note and a historic one for wind power production, with a record hourly wind power production of 6 076 megawatts of electricity generated in one hour in March. The same headwind is also reflected in wind power construction, which continues to be strong this year, according to the half-yearly statistics compiled by the Finnish Wind Energy Association. By the end of June, a total of 1 660 wind turbines were producing clean energy in Finland. The combined capacity of these plants now stands at 7 322 megawatts and is forecast to rise to over 8 000 megawatts by the end of the year.
In 2023, wind power covered just over 18% of Finland's electricity consumption, slightly behind hydropower. With wind power capacity completed in 2023 and expected to be completed in 2024, wind power is expected to overtake hydropower in electricity generation this year, making wind power the largest renewable electricity generation source in Finland.
"We look forward to welcoming new wind turbines as part of the growing wind power fleet! Next year also looks good for construction, as do the following years based on the grid connection agreements signed. However, the current high interest rates and construction costs are delaying new investment decisions, as are delays in new electricity-intensive investments. The world is now seeing a lot of giant investments in new industries such as hydrogen and green steel. Finland must also ensure that we get our share of these investments, which will also boost clean energy investments," says Anni Mikkonen, CEO of the Finnish Wind Energy Association.
North Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia traditionally appear in the statistics as the centres of wind power construction in terms of production capacity built in the first half of the year, as these regions account for more than 50% of new capacity. However, when looking at the municipalities with the highest installed capacity in the first half of 2024, two municipalities in Central Finland, Kyyjärvi and Karstula, and Eurajoki and Pori in Satakunta are also in the top ten.
"It is really good that wind power is being built across Finland and more and more municipalities are benefiting from the property tax revenues. The recently published Eastern Finland Wind Energy Task Force report shows that it is not easy or cheap to locate wind power in the eastern part of the country, but it is possible. It must be recognised that strengthening the vitality of Eastern Finland through large-scale investment will bring many benefits in the long run. Wind energy development in Eastern Finland is therefore an opportunity to create real vitality and should not be missed. A solution must be found," stresses Mikkonen.
