The Regional Council of Ostrobothnia has selected Ramboll to assess the opportunities & needs associated with developing offshore wind energy via Coastal Ostrobothnia ports.

The project will be divided into three parts. The first will be tasked with mapping how Ostrobothnian ports (Kaskinen, Pietarsaari, Vaasa, Kasnäs, and Karhusaari) stack against other ports in the Gulf of Bothnia and the wider Baltic Sea as regards their preparedness for serving the construction of offshore wind energy farms.

The second part will be devoted to the division of labour and cooperation (also with Swedish harbours), as the investment scale of offshore wind energy off Finland's coast is too big for a single port to handle the entire demand.

Lastly, Ramboll will look into what opportunities may follow thanks to erecting offshore wind energy farms, such as hydrogen and e-fuel production.

According to the Council, a record number of wind turbines was built in Finland last year, and wind energy production rose by 41%. The country is currently peppered with nearly 1,400 turbines, mostly on land.

Among others, OX2, a developer & seller of renewable energy solutions (including wind), initiated the development (environmental impact assessment and other studies) of the 100-turbine 1,400MW/6.0TWh/year offshore wind farm Tyrsky in the Gulf of Bothnia (about 30 km northwest of Kaskinen) at the beginning of 2023.

Photo: Port of Kaskinen