OX2 and the largest Ikea retailer have applied for permission to build an offshore wind farm. In addition to electricity, hydrogen is also to be produced.
The Neptunus energy hub will consist of up to 207 offshore wind turbines with a maximum height of 420 m and will be located around 50 km from Blekinge in the south of Sweden. The application includes a total installed capacity of 3,100 MW. Production is estimated at around 13-15 TWh per year. [ds_review]
Ingka Investments is the investment company of the Ingka Group, the holding company of a large part of the more than 400 furniture stores of the Ikea brand. Together with offshore wind developer OX2, the company has now submitted an application for approval of the Neptunus project. OX2 has already applied for a Natura 2000 permit for the energy hub. If the permit is granted, construction can begin in 2030.
OX2 and Ikea are also planning hydrogen production
In addition to offshore wind energy, OX2 and Ingka Investments have also applied for offshore hydrogen production of a maximum of 370,000 tons per year and a pilot project for oxygen enrichment of the Baltic Sea. Oxygen as a by-product of hydrogen production could, according to the partners, be used to oxygenate the Baltic Sea to help restore marine life in an oxygen-depleted area.
“The Neptunus Energy Center is one of the first next-generation wind farms. By producing renewable energy and hydrogen, Sweden will be able to secure energy for sectors that cannot be electrified. The oxygen from the hydrogen production can also be used to oxygenate the groundwater in the Baltic Sea and improve biodiversity,” says Emelie Zakrisson, Head of Offshore Wind Development in Sweden, OX2.
The project is at an early stage of development and is included with 1,900 MW in OX2’s project development portfolio, which amounts to 34,074 MW by the end of the third quarter of 2023.
OX2 and Ingka Investments are developing six offshore wind farms in Sweden: Galene on the west coast, Triton and Neptunus in the south of Sweden, Aurora between the islands of Öland and Gotland, and Pleione and Ran off the east coast of Gotland. Final approval for the construction of the wind farms will be granted by the Swedish government.
