RWE and Swedish port to explore suitability for Baltic Sea offshore wind hub
German utility RWE and the Port of Karlshamn in Sweden have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the port’s suitability for the logistics, installation, operations, and maintenance activities relating to the German company’s planned offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea.
The partners will first map the requirements and necessary build-outs and investments to facilitate the scaling-up of the port’s capacity.
An early implementation of port capacity will ensure that Sweden is well-placed to maximise the potential of the offshore wind industry.
RWE is one of the world’s largest offshore wind companies with more than 20 years of developing, building, and operating offshore wind projects. The company currently operates 19 offshore wind farms and has two under construction with several projects in development. It also plans to grow its global offshore wind capacity from 3.3GW today to 10GW in 2030.
The German firm also owns and operates the Kårehamn offshore wind farm in the Swedish part of the Baltic Sea. The 48 MW project was connected to the grid in 2013.
“Our Karehamn offshore wind farm is a great example also for harbour development. Thanks to the wind farm the old fishing harbour has been revitalised. Based on this success RWE plans to build more offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea,” said Anton Andersson, project lead at RWE Renewables Sweden.
“We recognise the demand for port capacity related to offshore wind energy, including after-sales services such as maintenance and operations centres. By establishing itself as a hub for offshore wind energy, Port of Karlshamn is also creating employment opportunities for the region and promoting business opportunities for local companies and suppliers, contributing to the economic development of the area and strengthening the local economy,” added Caroline Säfström, CEO at the Port of Karlshamn.
