“This represents an important step towards increasing the production of renewable electricity in bidding zone SE4, where demand is both high and growing. From Ilmatar’s perspective, we are now very much looking forward to entering a more operational phase in Sweden,” says Robert Wedmo, Head of Permitting Sweden at Ilmatar.
The permit relates to Ilmatar’s Persköp project, a solar power park with an estimated installed capacity of just over 90 MWp, covering approximately 125 hectares in Örkelljunga Municipality. With this decision, Ilmatar takes a significant step towards the realization of new renewable energy generation in Sweden.
Ilmatar currently has eleven renewable energy production facilities in operation in Finland. “We also look forward to moving into a more operational phase in Sweden,” Wedmo adds.
Battery energy storage (BESS) is planned in conjunction with the Persköp solar park, with the purpose of managing production variability and contributing to grid frequency stability. The battery storage facility will be subject to a separate permitting process.
“BESS is a key component of a future renewable energy system, and we plan to develop energy storage solutions in connection with the majority of our projects in the coming years,” Wedmo continues.
The permitting process for the Persköp project took approximately ten months at the County Administrative Board of Skåne, which Wedmo considers efficient.
“Skåne is setting a positive example. The process has been handled well and represents a step in the right direction for permitting procedures for solar power in Sweden, even though Ilmatar had hoped for a shorter processing time at the Land and Environment Court.”
At 125 hectares, the Persköp solar park will be among the larger solar installations in Sweden at present.
“Ilmatar has additional and even larger solar projects under development. However, in Sweden’s electricity bidding zone 4, every megawatt matters, making Persköp an important contribution,” says Wedmo.
The project area is currently used primarily for conventional commercial forestry.
“We have extensive areas of production forest in the Nordic countries—more than 40 million hectares combined in Sweden and Finland. If only one percent of this land were converted to solar parks, annual electricity generation could exceed 400 TWh, while still retaining 99 percent of the forested area,” Wedmo notes.
With the permit now legally binding, we are continuing negotiations on the grid connection with E.ON in close cooperation. The project now moves into more detailed planning and aims to secure the most competitive possible PPA agreement, enabling progress in investment preparation toward a final investment decision.
