After submarine cables were recently damaged again by a ship in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish military is now sounding the alarm on another issue. Planned offshore wind farms to generate electricity could entail “unacceptable risks”.
“We currently see no technical solutions or legal requirements for the coexistence of defense interests and wind energy in the Baltic Sea,” the military said on Wednesday. Due to the “severely deteriorated security situation” as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine, no compromises should be made in the field of national defense.
Permission provisionally denied
In early November, the Swedish government refused construction permits for 13 offshore wind farms off the Swedish Baltic Sea coast and near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad due to possible consequences for defense capabilities.
Accordingly, the systems may cause radar echoes and other forms of interference. According to Defense Secretary Pal Johnson, this could delay the detection of incoming cruise missiles from Kaliningrad and halve the warning time to 60 seconds.
Warning for “unacceptable risks”
The Swedish Armed Forces have now indicated that in their view all offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea pose potential safety risks. “It would pose unacceptable risks to the defense of our country and our allies,” the military said.
“Our ability to detect incoming threats against Sweden and our allies is critical. Our sensor chain plays a crucial role in this and must be able to work with the highest possible performance.”
Tensions in the region have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The previously neutral states of Sweden and Finland subsequently joined NATO. With the exception of Russia, all states bordering the Baltic Sea are now members of the defense alliance. At the same time, the need for – predominantly renewable – energy in the Baltic Sea region is also growing.
Source: Krone
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