MARKET MOVING AGAIN
The market in Finland has started to move again after lying dormant in 1994 when not a single wind turbine was installed. Utility Revon Sähkö has erected two Nordtank 500 kW units on Karlö, one next to two existing turbines and the other at a separate site. Another Nordtank 500 kW unit will be erected by utility Kuiva-Turave Oy in the district of Kuivaniemi. And in Enotki in the far north, three Nordtank 300 kW units will be installed. The popular appeal of wind power also seems to be growing. A project offered for co-operative ownership on the island of Åland has aroused so much interest that one thousand shares in the project have been sold, even though the single Vestas 500 machine has only been divided into 750 shares. But as a result of the interest shown, the developer, Ålands Vindenergi Andelslag, is now looking for a site for a second 500 kW unit. The Finnish market seems to be reviving after planning authorities effectively blocked all siting permit applications last year. Unlike in the UK, where there is a planning presumption in favour of wind turbines, in Finland planners regard them as little better than a blight on the landscape. Finland's wind power association is lobbying hard for a change of attitude.