Wind power production increased by 25% in 2023 – domestic wind power increases electricity availability
More wind power is being built rapidly in Finland, which increases Finland’s energy self-sufficiency and energy security due to the uncertainty in the energy supply caused by the geopolitical situation. Domestic wind electricity production increased by 25 percent compared to the previous year. Wind power has grown into one of our most significant forms of electricity production, but at the same time, it would be important to be able to build wind power evenly across the country. Regionally comprehensive construction would not only smooth out production fluctuations but also bring much-needed vitality to Eastern Finland.
Last year, wind power covered 18.2 percent of the electricity consumed in Finland, and wind power is now the country’s third largest form of electricity production, just behind hydropower (18.8%). Based on the investment decisions already made, it is known that wind power will grow into Finland’s largest form of electricity production this decade. In 2023, the combined capacity of Finland’s wind turbines increased by 23 percent due to brisk construction. The construction of new wind turbines is scheduled for the less windy summer season, and commissioning of the turbines often takes place near the turn of the year. Thus, most of the wind turbines completed last year did not start producing electricity until the very end of the year, and they will make their full contribution to the production figures only this year.
Wind power production varies – of course – depending on the wind. In a brisk wind, there is a lot of electricity production and electricity is typically cheap because there is plenty of cheap raw material, i.e. wind. Windiness, however, varies by region, and the wider the region is considered, the more likely it is that there is always enough wind somewhere for wind power production.
“The regionally even construction of wind power capacity can equalize fluctuations in the price of electricity, create stability in the electricity system, and improve the profitability of investments,” sums up Anni Mikkonen, CEO of the Finnish Wind Power Association (FWPA). A recent study by LUT University clearly shows that more distributed construction than the current one would significantly reduce the periods when there is little wind power production available due to weak winds in a certain area.
Securing wind power construction is important so that we can attract new industrial projects that consume a lot of electricity to Finland with the help of clean, inexpensive electricity and, above all, the work and other regional economic effects they bring. These future investments are also very important for Eastern Finland. For this reason, long-term and solution-oriented work must be done to enable the coexistence of wind turbines and radars, for example by mapping out new technological solutions. Eastern Finland’s vitality is not only central to the economy of Finland but also to national defense.
“Making it possible to build wind power also in Eastern Finland is a solution to many challenges identified in the government program as well. We hear the message that Finland and the eastern border issues are now in the speeches of many parties in the EU. Now is the moment when we can get the EU involved in the discussions to solve Eastern Finland’s vitality issues and at the same time promote renewable energy”, Mikkonen sums up.
Wind power statistics of the Finnish Wind Energy Association 2023