New guideline for the coordination of offshore wind power and maritime, as well as maritime and shipping infrastructure

The guide deals with issues to be considered in the coordination of maritime and wind power farms, where the roles of Traficom and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency as authorities are related to issuing statements or related instructions and advice. The guide describes the procedures of Traficom and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency during the planning, evaluation and approval processes of offshore wind farm projects, and provides background to the agencies' requirements in offshore wind power projects.

The agencies' instructions have been compiled into a common guide, so that the key issues in terms of coordinating maritime and wind power parks are e.g. available to planners and wind power developers in one guide.

"The purpose of the guide is to secure the operating conditions of Finnish merchant shipping and to ensure safe maritime in such a way that the current risk level of maritime does not increase significantly due to wind farms being built near waterways, shipping transport areas, shipping safety devices or shipping radars or radio stations. About 90 per cent of Finland's exports and imports go by sea, so coordinating different needs will continue to be important for society as a whole," says Traficom Senior Inspector Jani Koiranen.

From the point of view of maritime, the wind farms planned for the sea area can affect e.g. the functionality of the transport system, maritime radar and radio systems, and maritime safety. As an authority, Traficom plays a central role in these. Additionally, Traficom must be requested to confirm, for example, changes related to the fairway, which may be required by the wind farm planned for the sea area. Wind power plants can also affect the functionality of communication networks based on the use of radio frequencies or, from an aviation perspective, create air navigation obstacles.

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency plays a key role in wind power projects both as the state operator of the waterways and as the party responsible for ensuring the conditions for winter maritime and as the orderer of vessel traffic control services. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency also takes care of the availability of ice-breaker assistance in the Finnish water area if ice conditions so require.

The guide also takes into account e.g. from the Finnish Border Guard's point of view, essential matters related to maritime safety, maritime rescue and environmental damage prevention measures.