Finland: VSB Group Receives Green Light For Construction Of Major Wind Farm Project Karahka

Dresden, Germany / Oulu, Oulainen, Finland - VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi O, the Finnish subsidiary of the Dresden-based project developer and operator of wind energy and photovoltaic plants VSB, has received the building permit for the construction of the Finnish large-scale wind farm Karahka in January 2022.

VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy will build the project with 25 wind turbines and a total capacity of 170 MW north of the town of Oulainen in Northern Ostrobothnia region on an area of around 2,300 hectares. Construction is scheduled to start in 2023. The turbines will be delivered starting in 2024 and commissioning is planned for the end of 2024.

VSB Finland began planning the Karahka wind farm in 2016. Originally, the current project was two individual wind projects that were merged and enlarged.

The town of Oulainen adopted a zoning agreement for the area in 2017. One year later, it was included in the Northern Ostrobothnia regional land use plan and designated as a wind farm site. In 2019, work began on the local master plan and environmental impact assessment. According to VSB, it was the first time in Finland that these two tasks were carried out simultaneously. The entire planning process was completed in 2021 and the building permit became legally binding in January 2022.

"The key to the success of the project is the positive attitude adopted by the town of Oulainen, other authorities and landowners. The cooperation with decision-makers, leading public officials and other stakeholders has been very pleasant and has run smoothly," says Seppo Tallgren, Managing Director of VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy about the project process so far. "As in all VSB projects, we have been actively engaged in an extensive dialogue and will keep the public well informed about how construction is progressing at Karahka," Katja Tuukkanen, Head of Project Development at VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy emphasises a transparent approach.

VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy, based in Oulu in the North Ostrobothnia region, was founded in 2016. In addition to planning and developing the Karahka wind farm, the VSB subsidiary is currently building its first wind farm, the 39.9 MW "Juurakko" wind farm. The project is being built on the west coast of Finland and is scheduled to go into operation in the summer of 2022.

Source: IWR Online, 02 Feb 2022