Fortum mulls industrial-scale solar park in Sweden

The Finnish majority state-owned energy company Fortum is investigating the possibility of an industrial-scale solar park in Havdhem on southern Gotland, said the company in a press release on Friday.

The area covers 95 hectares and is estimated to have an installed capacity of approximately 90 MW.

The company is now starting to develop a solar park in Havdhem on southern Gotland. The Alvret solar park will be Fortum's first industrial-scale solar project in Sweden. The company has an 80 MW solar power project under planning in Virolahti, Finland.

“Solar power plays an important role in the green transition and contributes to great climate benefits. We see significant potential for solar power in the Nordic region, and we are very pleased that we have now started our first industrial-scale solar power project in Sweden,” said Toni Kekkinen, Head of Fortum's Solar and Wind Power business.

The permit process for a solar park in Sweden takes between 1-3 years and after a possible investment decisions the construction is expected to take about a year.

It may take a few more years to take the solar park into operation due to the grid expansion required to connect the solar park to the regional grid.

“At Fortum, we are involved throughout the value chain, from planning, development, construction and through the solar park's lifetime of about 35 - 40 years. We look forward to a good, long-term cooperation with local residents and other local stakeholders,” said Frida Moberg, project developer at Fortum.