Sweden blocks baltic wind farms over security concerns
Sweden has decided to block the construction of 1,800 new turbines in the Baltic Sea, which could have doubled energy production. The reason cited is their negative impact on security.
Thirteen out of fourteen applications submitted by investors were rejected due to their negative impact on national security. The plans involved building 1,800 turbines located on farms stretching from the Åland Islands in the north to the Øresund Strait in the south.
The major energy investments were expected to reach a total capacity of 30 gigawatts, more than Sweden's current demand. Although the new turbines could have secured Sweden's energy needs, authorities only permitted the construction of one farm on the country's western coast in the Skagerrak Strait.
Approval was granted for the Poseidon farm, which, according to Reuters, is expected to generate approximately 5.5 terawatt-hours of electricity annually.
Why did the Swedes abandon most of these promising investments? The answer is national security. Most planned turbines were to be built at sea between Sweden and the Kaliningrad Oblast, which is considered a source of threat.
Why are wind farms considered a security threat? Their impact on radar effectiveness can hinder or delay the detection of a flying object.
In practice, according to the Swedes, this means shortening the reaction time window for Swedish defense systems from two minutes to one. According to the attached graphics, the turbines' adverse impact would affect both Russian cruise and ballistic missiles.
Russian weapons in Kaliningrad Oblast
In the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia has both weapons at its disposal. As the analysis by the Institute of Central Europe indicates, although Russia significantly weakened the land forces stationed in the Oblast after the attack on Ukraine, it has retained missile systems as a deterrent.
These include the land-based Iskander-M missiles, which have a range of at least 500 kilometres and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads (according to the ICE, this includes 12 systems and 24 missiles).
The Oblast also hosts warships equipped with various types of cruise missiles. Alongside older anti-ship systems, like the P-270 Moskit-M, 3M24 Uran, or P-120 Malachit, some vessels (Karakurt and Buyan-M class corvettes) are equipped with modern Kalibr-NT missiles with a range of up to approximately 2,000 kilometres.
Since August 2022, three MiG-31 planes, capable of carrying hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles, have also been stationed in the Kaliningrad Oblast.
None of these weapons pose a severe problem for Western air defence systems - Kalibrs, Kinzhals, and Iskanders are successfully intercepted in Ukraine. However, detecting them early enough for air defence to respond is crucial. As seen, the Swedes considered halving the reaction time window an unacceptable risk.
