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SWEDEN

Sweden was one of the early pioneers in modern wind power development, embarking on a wind energy programme in 1975. In 1997, following a statement made in 1995 regarding national energy policy, a new long-term transformation programme to develop an ecologically sustainable energy supply system was agreed upon. The Swedish National Energy Administration, which came into existence at the beginning of 1998, manages the system. In mid-1999 a government commission concluded that in order for there to be a major expansion in the Swedish wind sector, it was necessary to undertake wind surveys and resource planning, especially in offshore and mountain areas. The Energy Administration oversees the Government’s three programmes for supporting the development and installation of wind turbines:

During 1999 there was a 24% increase in capacity, bringing the installed wind power capacity as at end-1999 to 215 MW. Wind power generation also increased significantly in 1999 to 369 GWh (+18% over 1998), representing 0.25% of the total electricity generation.

During the 1990’s research was carried out on the feasibility of offshore wind plants. A 220 kW plant at Nogersund was followed by the Bockstigen-Valar project (5 plants each of 500 kW). In mid-2000, it was announced that a 10 MW offshore installation on the Utgrunden shoal in south-eastern Sweden had received governmental approval. Other offshore projects are planned for the period to 2005, but as in other north-west European countries there is public resistance to the ever-increasing deployment of wind turbines, and research is being undertaken in an attempt to change attitudes.