World Wind Day on Thursday 15 June: second most onshore wind power in Europe built in Finland last year
Finland started building wind power later than many other countries, but through effective and targeted government action, we were one of the first markets to start building wind power without government financial support. This development has been supported by the fact that wind power regulation in Finland is very comprehensive and based on clear processes, which are also supported by scientific research evidence. Last year, Finland was the second-largest developer of onshore wind power in Europe. In terms of cumulative capacity, we still have some way to go compared to our other countries.
Finland is one of the most attractive markets in the world. Sweden built slightly more onshore wind power than Finland, while Germany built slightly less. Taking offshore wind into account, Germany built the most new wind power capacity in Europe, with Finland in third place after Sweden.
Globally, Finland was the sixth-largest developer of wind power last year. It was followed by China, the USA, Brazil, Germany and Sweden. Looking at all the wind power built over the years, i.e. cumulative capacity for both onshore and offshore wind, China is the clear leader with more than 365 000 MW, with the USA far behind but a clear runner-up with more than 144 000 MW. By comparison, Finland had a total wind capacity of 5677 MW at the end of last year. “For a long time, Europe was the leader in offshore wind power, but China has taken the lead in this area too”, says Heidi Paalatie, Chief Operating Officer of the Finnish Wind Power Association.
“We can be proud of the way wind power construction has taken off in Finland. At the moment, Sweden and other countries are looking closely at what is being done in Finland and want to learn from it. For example, municipalities in Finland benefit from wind power in a different way than in Sweden. The benefits are distributed in line with the disadvantages”, Paalatie continues.
Wind power is the fastest and cheapest way to increase domestic energy production. Clean, low-cost wind power attracts billions of euros in industrial investment. It is therefore important for the new government to ensure a stable investment environment and that efforts to harmonize the defence radar and wind power continue.
“Since Nokia’s golden years, Finland has longed for a new Nokia. Now we are being offered giant investments and a new foundation for the state economy. We must now play these cards wisely”, said Anni Mikkonen, CEO of the Finnish Wind Power Association.
(Machine translation)
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