The County Administrative Board of Gotland has decided to recommend the Swedish government to grant a permit for the 5.5GW Aurora offshore wind farm being developed by OX2 and Ingka Investments.
If approved, the first phase of the wind farm will be operational by 2030, delivering more than 6 terawatt hours (TWh) of clean energy annually to southern Sweden.
Once the entire wind farm is developed in 2035, it will deliver 24TWh annually.
The wind farm will be located 22km south of the island of Gotland and 30km east of the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea, in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone.
The Aurora project will also support the Swedish Armed Forces in the surveillance of the area with the help of sensors attached to the wind turbines.
OX2 is also working to improve biodiversity. It is investigating how offshore structures can be designed to act as artificial reefs for sessile [permanently attached] species and form areas where fish accumulate.
It also collaborating to investigate the possibilities of large-scale mussel farming within the park and of reducing eutrophication [a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of microorganisms that may deplete the water of oxygen].
OX2 Sweden offshore wind development head Emelie Zakrisson stated: “Aurora can act as an accelerator in the transition to net zero emissions in southern Sweden. The large-scale production of electricity will enable a substantial production of hydrogen and e-fuel, which is the prerequisite for fossil-free industry, shipping and aviation.
“We are working in parallel to secure the connections to the electricity grid as well as signing supplier agreements to be able to start construction as soon as all permits are in place.”
Ingka Investments renewable investments head Frederik de Jong stated: “We are really pleased that the County Administrative Board has given the green light to the project.
‘We look forward to realising Aurora together with OX2. With a fast permit process, the wind farm could be producing electricity by 2030.”
In April 2024, the County Administrative Board granted the wind farm a Natura 2000-permit - confirmation that the project can proceed without negatively impacting protected species.
