Smooth sailing for our wind power project with Finnish developer Semecon

Last year Korkia and Finnish renewable energy project developer Semecon agreed on a project development for more than 200 megawatts of wind power in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia in Finland. Through the partnership multiple wind farm projects will be developed and later constructed in Ylivieska and Sievi. A recent trip to the area confirmed that the projects are proceeding well and Korkia’s close partner Semecon is doing outstanding work in the region.

This fall Korkia’s director of renewable investments, Turkka Oksanen, made a visit to Ylivieska and Sievi to meet up with the local developer Semecon’s team and visit the three wind park sites under planning; Vasama, Kenkäkangas and Malakakangas. Permitting of the sites has been proceeding very well with no major issues – largely due to the experienced professionals of Semecon, but of course also because of excellent location. All three sites are situated far from any permanent residence.

On site at Vasamanneva (Photo ©Turkka Oksanen)

Another purpose for Turkka’s visit was to take part in an official public consultation event regarding Kenkäkangas at Sievi. The event was hosted by Heli Kinnunen from Pohjois-Pohjanmaan ELY-keskus and Olli Malkamäki with his team from Semecon. In project development these public events serve as an important platform for communication and information exchange between local communities. The Kenkäkangas project was made transparent to the audience and opened for discussion. A number of good questions were raised by the audience and answered in detail by the Semecon team, ranging from wind park design to numerous other details. The general feeling transferred from the event was that people were satisfied with what they were hearing and learning about the project. Overall the atmosphere was positive.

In project development, being truly local is invaluable. A clear evidence of this was witnessed at the event: the head of community of the nearest village Kiiskelä openly gave positive feedback on the transparent communication and seamless co-operation with the Semecon team. This is yet another proof of just how important it is to find a professional local partner for renewable energy projects.

“It is great to see Korkia’s first wind power investments in Finland progressing well and our partner Semecon doing an amazing job in the region and with the local community. Understanding the local environment, being truly approachable and close to local communities is a key factor in successful project development,” Turkka comments.

“Even with a substantial renewable energy portfolio abroad, there is a special meaning to a renewable energy project such as this in our home country. Especially in these times, when increasing Finland’s self-sufficiency in energy has become vital,” he concludes.

The project development will be financed by Korkia Uusiutuva Energia Ky accompanied by a local investor Arvo Sijoitusosuuskunta with EUR 3 million commitment as an anchor investor. Read more about the project here.