Test dredging underway for Tahkoluoto offshore wind farm extension

Suomen Hyötytuuli conducted test dredging off the coast of Pori at the Sea of Bothnia – the site of the Tahkoluoto offshore wind farm extension project – earlier this month.

In this area (located between 4 and 22km off the coast), the company plans to build a 600+ MW expansion to the existing 44.3 MW offshore wind farm, the world’s first built and operating in frozen sea conditions.

The new facility is planned to comprise 40 wind turbines of more than 15 MW capacity each, installed at a depth of up to 40m.

“The test dredging has provided valuable information about the quality of the seabed of the Sea of Bothnia and about the suitable equipment and methods for dredging in the area. It has also provided insight as to how deep the dredging needs to go in order to establish sufficiently robust foundations for the offshore wind turbines cost-efficiently and in compliance with the criteria,” Suomen Hyötytuuli said in a press release on 13 May.

The latest test work follows the site investigations launched last year, when the Dutch-Finnish consortium Boskalis-Terramare and the Finish Hyötytuuli performed seabed test excavations at a depth of 43 metres.

According to Suomen Hyötytuuli, the construction of the extension offshore wind farm is expected to take place in 2027–2029.