The decision to stop, or at least pause, the large wind farm Kriegers Flak off the Swedish south coast is motivated by Vattenfall due to the lack of state subsidies for offshore power cables.
The previous government had a similar proposal underway. Now in opposition, they are giving the current government a failing grade for stopping the funding for the cables.
This project has great value in southern Sweden, which has a deficit and high prices, says Fredrik Olovsson, spokesperson for energy issues for the Social Democrats.
"Has complicated"
The Centre Party's Rickard Nordin adds:
"We are now seeing the effect of the government having complicated things for wind power. Electricity that could have been delivered to southern Sweden's households and industries in 2028 is now missing, and electricity bills will remain high", he writes in a comment to TT.
There is money, according to Nordin, in the form of congestion fees that southern Sweden's customers have paid.
According to Svensk Vindenergi, the investment challenges have generally become tougher. Inflation has made it more expensive to build. And the government's clear focus on nuclear power has made things cool down among wind power builders. The industry organization is therefore calling for the government to take a clearer role for wind power, in some form, according to Lina Kinning, responsible for offshore wind power at Svensk Vindenergi.
"Unfortunate"
"It is unfortunate that individual projects have difficulty bearing their costs. It is important that wind power develops, matures, and delivers support services to the power grid", says Energy Minister Ebba Busch (KD) in a written statement to TT.
She points to the wind farms Galene and Kattegatt Syd off the Halland coast, which have been approved by the government.
"Both of these projects are proceeding according to plan, which shows that other calculations can add up."
