wiredinUSA July 2020

Decision for wind extension

Beginning of the end for Finnish peat energy

The UK secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has refused Vattenfall’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the Thanet Extension offshorewind project, stating that Vattenfall failed to demonstrate sufficient mitigation of risks to the safety of navigation. The project’s possible impact on marine navigation, shipping and ports was the principal cause of opposition throughout the examination. Concerns included the effect of the project on navigational safety of shipping traffic in immediately adjacent waters; the resilience of facilities and services accessed by that traffic; and, in this context, the degree to which the proposed development was policy compliant. In addition, no lease had been agreed to secure the property rights for offshore construction. The proposed project would extend the 300MW Thanet offshore wind farm by 34 turbines. Vattenfall submitted the application for the DCO to the Planning Inspectorate in June 2018 and the examining authority was appointed at the end of that year.

Finnish energy company EPV Energy is planning to build a 100MW solar park in the town of Lapua, in the South Ostrobothnia region. The power plant will occupy disused peatland and will replace peat energy production by EPV Bioturve Oy. Power generation from peat, which supplies around 4% of Finland’s electricity, is more polluting than coal-fired generation and produces more than twice the CO 2 emissions of natural gas. The planned solar project, Finland’s largest to date, will feature 463,680 panels and be connected to the Lapua-Sänkiaho 110kV power line. Elsewhere, Finnish companies Wärtsilä and Vantaa Energy have announced plans to build the country’s first power-to-gas facility to produce carbon-neutral synthetic biogas using carbon dioxide emissions and electricity generated at Vantaa’s waste-to- energy plant. A feasibility study is yet to be carried out but, said Wärtsilä: “The parties intend to continue joint development of the project towards a commercial-scale pilot project.” The synthetic biogas produced is intended to replace the use of natural gas in district heating and reduce Vantaa Energy’s carbon dioxide emissions.

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wiredInUSA - July 2020