About wind power in Finland
In Finland, wind power construction began later than in many other European countries. However, from 2012 to 2013, wind power construction has gained momentum and national construction and production statistics have been broken year after year.
At the end of 2023, there were 1 601 installed wind turbine generators, with a combined capacity of 6 946 MW. They generated 18,1 % of Finland’s electricity consumption in 2023.
6 946 MW
In 2023, there were 1 601 installed wind turbine generators, with a compined capacity of 6 946 MW.
200 TWh by 2040
Finland has the potential to increase wind power capacity considerably. Renewables Finland is expecting that we have aproximately 100 TWh of annual onhore wind power production and 100 TWh of annual offshore wind power production in 2040 in Finland.
There will be also growing demand for renewable energy in Finland. According to Fingrid System Vision, in all 4 scenarios the electricity consumption will rise from current 86 TWh to 128-188 TWh by 2035.
How much wind power can and should be built in Finland?
Finnish wind conditions do not set a limit to the amount of wind power that can be built in Finland. From the perspective of Finnish wind resources, the Finnish Wind Atlas shows that onshore and offshore wind resources are sufficient to meet ambitious wind energy targets. The amount of wind power that is feasible to build depends more for example on how well wind farms receive necessary permits or how attractive developers are able to make their financial calculations.
134 000 MW
About 134 000 megawatts of wind power projects are under development in Finland (2024).
A great potential
Finland’s wind power potential is many times higher than the capacity currently build. According to Renewables Finland project list (January 2024), there are more than 134 000 megawatts of wind power projects under development in Finland. Not all projects are likely to be implemented for various reasons, such as the windiness of the area or nature values. However, over 11 000 MW of projects already have a land use plan or a land use plan and a building permit.
From a land use perspective, current regional plans designate only a small proportion of the total potentially suitable areas for wind power construction. However, regional land use planners have been instructed to consider the needs of wind power in future regional plans and when making amendments to existing plans. From the point of view of developing the Finnish national grid, there is in any case a need to strengthen the power system because of the construction of several other new power plants.