Thieves are targeting green energy in Finland

In the Finnish town of Soini, thieves stole 3500 kg of copper, causing significant damage to the construction site of Vestas Finland, according to Finnish portal Yle.

The Ostrobothnia police say that wind power plants attract thieves. Over 3500 kilograms of copper was stolen and taken away by unknowns from the Vestas Finland Oy wind power plant in Soini over the past week. In addition, significant damage has been done to the wind turbines being built on site. The police are investigating the case as theft with aggravating circumstances.

PR manager of the Finnish Wind Energy Association Johanna Sula believes that thefts at wind power plants are not an exception, but they have not become a phenomenon.

"There is a lot of valuable material at wind power facilities. Because of thefts, it is necessary to strengthen surveillance. Security has been hired for the construction," says Sula.

The police are asking all residents of the area to watch out for cars or anything unusual on or near the territory, especially in the evening from May 20-27.

Last year, Finland was able to increase wind energy capacity by 75%. This is stated in a new report by the Finnish Wind Power Association (FWPA). In 2022, a total of 437 new wind turbines were commissioned in the country, leading to an increase in wind energy capacity.

Currently, there are 1393 wind turbines in Finland that generate a total power of 5677 megawatts. Wind energy now accounts for about 10% of the country's overall energy balance, and this figure is expected to only grow. Since most turbines began producing electricity at the end of the year, this will only be reflected in the 2023 indicators.

It is expected that by the end of 2025, Finland will have produced at least about 3200 megawatts of new wind power, judging by published investment decisions and projects under construction. By that time, wind power will cover about 28% of the country's electricity consumption.

As previously reported, after numerous missile attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, Finland provided equipment to Ukraine to restore the power grid.

It was recently learned that a new wind power plant has already been built in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine. This is the first phase of the station. The project initiator plans to increase the total power of the WPP to 500 MW, which will make it the largest in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.