Forest owner SCA and wind project manager OX2 have entered into a cooperation agreement with the aim to build about 1GW of new onshore wind capacity within a five-year period.
SCA owns 2.6 million hectares of environmentally certified forest in northern Sweden, and says it is Europe’s largest private forest owner. The two companies have already identified a small number of areas suitable for wind power in the Norrland region and started to develop four projects.
“OX2 has huge experience with such projects, from the development stage to commissioned wind farms,” says Milan Kolar, head of wind energy at SCA.
Sweden is in the midst of an onshore wind boom as the country needs to meet ambitious 2030 climate targets and has an increasing need for electricity from data centres and heavy industry, especially in the Northern part of the country.
The boom - which also extends to neighbouring Norway - has however met opposition from reindeer herders from the indigenous Sami population as well as local residents in areas of high wind power growth.
In 2018, there were already 324 operational wind turbines on SCA’s land, which is equivalent to around 13% of Sweden’s wind power production. Up to 2018, OX2 has contributed to the development of around 12% of the wind power production in Sweden.
“OX2 and SCA complement each other and have a very flexible way of working, meaning we can make quick decisions,” said Hillevi Priscar, project development manager at OX2.
“Together, we have an excellent background, in connection with other stakeholders, for the achievement of our common objectives and can contribute to the transition towards a 100% renewable energy system in Sweden.”
