For the second time in three months, Scania County Administrative Board has given the nod to Ørsted’s 1.5GW offshore wind farm Skåne Havmøllepark, reports Swedish business daily Dagens Industri.

With planned capacity of 1.5GW and a location 22km south of Scanian towns Ystad and Trellborg, the facility will generate an estimated 7TWh annually. The site is located in the vicinity of a Nature 2000 project, so there are special environmental interests to take heed of, but Scania County Administrative Board has deemed that the offshore wind farm won’t pose any significant risk to the natural habitat.

”This is a crucial and positive announcement from the Scania County Administrative Board. Now nothing stands in the way for Stockholm to grant approval for Skåne Havvindpark. If a decision is swiftly passed within the year, the wind farm could be operational be 2029 and contribute in supplying Sweden’s rapidly increasing electricity demand, says Ørsted CEO Sebastian Hald Buhl to Dagens Industri.

Skåne Havmøllepark will require Ørsted to invest around SEK 25-50bn (EUR 170m-341m).