Finland launches 3GW offshore wind tender

Finland has announced plans for its next offshore wind tender targeting 3GW of offshore wind capacity in the Gulf of Bothnia, with more than 4GW to come in following tenders.  

by Orlando Jenkinson 24 November 2023

Ice drifting near the coast in Finland's Gulf of Bothnia (pic credit: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

It will be managed by Finnish state-owned resources management firm Metsähallitus, which was given the green light to open the auction yesterday (23 November). 

The tender is for two of the five offshore wind zones previously identified by the Finnish government off the country’s west coast, in the Gulf of Bothnia: the Edith project off Närpes in western Finland, and the Ebba project offshore from the towns of Pyhäjoki and Raahe in the northwest.    

The Edith and Ebba projects have a combined total capacity of 3GW, and an estimated investment value of between €6-8 billion combined, according to Metsähallitus.

The utility said that both projects at full capacity could produce up to 14TWh of clean electricity every year, equivalent to around 17% of Finland’s present electricity consumption. 

Tuomas Hallenberg, senior vice president of property development and renewables at Metsähallitus, said the company was seeking high levels of competency in its call for bidders for the two projects. 

“Finland is currently attracting a lot of investments in the global market. The Edith and Ebba projects require solid expertise and extensive resources from their implementers,” he said. 

Non-price criteria

Metsähallitus said bidders would be judged on numerous criteria in the tender, including sufficient expertise, track records and resources in order to be considered. Additionally bids will be judged on their commitments to biodiversity protection, grid requirements, and sustainable business practices among other criteria. 

Finland is hoping to auction a total of 7.5GW across five offshore wind zones in total, with three more zones earmarked for tender next year. 

The tender process for the Edith and Ebba projects is expected to take around a year to complete and Metsähallitus said it hopes to complete the auction in 2024. 

Metsähallitus previously awarded Swedish utility Vattenfall the rights to build a 1.3GW project in the country’s first offshore wind tender. That project has since been expanded to a maximum capacity of 2GW.