Finland’s Third Largest Wind Farm Inaugurated In Pjelax

The Pjelax wind farm of 56 wind turbines, a joint project between Finnish energy companies Fortum and Helen, was inaugurated on Tuesday. Located in the areas of Närpiö and Kristiinankaupunki in western Finland, the wind farm will produce more than 1 TWh of wind power annually, around 5% of Finland’s total wind power production. Fortum owns 60% of the wind farm, while Helen owns 40%. Helen will purchase around 50% of the wind farm’s electricity production until the end of its life cycle.

“With 380 MW, Pjelax will double the wind power capacity operated by Fortum. Wind power plays an important role alongside the rest of our emission-free power generation. In line with our strategy, we provide clean electricity in the Nordic countries and help in electrifying industry to reduce its emissions. Pjelax is a prime example of how Fortum helps its customers reduce their carbon dioxide emissions,” says Markus Rauramo, President and CEO of Fortum.

“The Pjelax wind farm is a significant joint effort by Helen and Fortum to increase renewable electricity production. Wind power generation creates a competitive advantage for Finland. Increasing the supply lowers customers’ electricity prices and enables investments based on the consumption of clean electricity,” says Olli Sirkka, CEO, Helen. 

Suvic Oy and Närpiö-based Simons Infra Oy were responsible for the extensive infrastructure construction work and earthworks at the wind farm. The special transport of the massive wind turbines took place through the port of Kaskinen, including a total of 728 special transport operations, or 13 transport operations per wind turbine. The regional economic impacts will be reflected in municipal land rental income and property tax revenue, totalling millions of euros annually. 

The construction of the Pjelax wind farm began in January 2022 and was completed on schedule in good cooperation with more than 400 landowners and several local business owners, organisations and officials. Finland’s transmission system operator Fingrid and turbine supplier Nordex also made a significant contribution to ensuring that the project ran smoothly. At the opening ceremony of the wind farm, local residents celebrated the joint achievement and appreciated the promotion of the transition to clean energy in Finland.