Finland's Ilmatar finds sites for up 500-MW wind project at home

Finnish renewables developer Ilmatar Energy has set it sights on two locations in the Kainuu region of Finland, with plans to build wind farms there with a combined capacity of 350 MW to 500 MW.

The project is still in early stages, and will be Ilmatar’s largest, the company said on Wednesday.

The municipality of Paltamo, where the turbines are set to be located, has approved the zoning initiative for both sites. The next step is conducting an assessment of the environmental impact, Ilmatar said.

At present, Ilmatar is thinking of erecting 50 turbines in Paltamo, grouping 19 in the Hukkalansalo area and 31 in Takiankangas. The final look and the capacity of the wind farms will depend on the development of the wind turbine technology in the coming years, explained Jussi Makinen, head of project development at Ilmatar.

The company plans to develop, build and operate the two wind farms.

Also on Wednesday, Ilmatar announced that the 211-MW Piiparinmaki wind farm in central Finland had been connected. A large part of Piiparinmaki’s production output is reserved for Google’s data centre under a power purchase agreement (PPA).

Ilmatar used to own this project before selling it to London-based fund manager Glennmont Partners in September 2019 and assuming the role of the EPC contractor afterwards.

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