Finland Nearly Doubled Its Wind Power Capacity Last Year

Wind turbines in Finland.

Wind turbines in Finland. Finnish Wind Power Association

Finland saw its wind power capacity grow by 75 percent in 2022, according to the Finnish Wind Power Association, a wind energy trade group.

“No other electricity generation can be built in Finland as quickly and as cost-effectively right now,” Anni Mikkonen, CEO of the association, said in a statement.

Last year Finland erected 427 new turbines with a combined power capacity of 2,430 megawatts. The country now boasts 1,393 turbines in total, which together have a capacity of 5,677 megawatts. New wind turbines have trended larger over time, with bigger turbines producing more electricity.

Finland is expected to add roughly 1,000 megawatts a year for the next three years. In 2025, wind will cover at least 28 percent of the country’s power consumption, the Finnish Wind Energy Association estimates. A 2018 study published in Nature Energy found that with larger, more efficient turbines, wind could conceivably supply all of Finland’s electricity.

“Sufficient wind power is available in Finland. Technology and land use restrictions affect the available wind power potential,” Erkka Rinne, a scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, said in a statement. “The key issue is to decide on the extent to which this potential is realized.”

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