Sweden recently moved to halt the construction of 13 offshore wind farms along its coast over national security concerns. Officials said there was the potential for this renewable energy infrastructure to hamper the country’s response time in the event of an attack from Russia.
Government officials in Sweden expressed concern that moving forward with these planned wind farms would make them vulnerable to hypothetical foreign missile strikes, especially given their proximity to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad which is a highly militarized zone.
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The Swedish Defense Ministry raised concerns that offshore wind turbines could interfere with radar signals. Those signals are crucial for tracking and responding to potential military threats. Experts said interference may reduce radar accuracy and in some cases block out portions of the sky.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson claims offshore turbines could cause a radar disruption that reduces the country’s response window. Currently, the country has a two-minute window to a hypothetical Russian missile launch. However, the disruptions could cut that to 60 seconds, according to Jonson.
Sweden’s decision mirrors similar concerns expressed by defense officials in the United Kingdom and France. Both countries have also questioned the strategic implications of wind energy infrastructure in protecting against foreign aggression.
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Despite blocking those offshore projects near Russian territory, Sweden has approved an 81-turbine wind farm on the nation’s eastern coast, facing its allies. Set for completion by 2031, this project is expected to power around 1 million homes.
[Jack]
OFFSHORE WIND COULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR RUSSIA TO ATTACK A U.S.-ALLY.
THAT’S THE POSITION SOME GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN SWEDEN ARE TAKING.
THEY FEAR CONSTRUCTING 13 PLANNED OFFSHORE WIND FARMS ALONG THEIR NATION’S COAST WILL MAKE THEM MORE VULNERABLE TO A MISSILE ATTACK.
WIND FARMS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO INTERFERE WITH RADAR SIGNALS-
REDUCING THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION THEY PROVIDE, AND IN SOME CASES BLOCKING OUT PARTS OF THE SKY.
THIS IS WHY SWEDEN MOVED LAST WEEK TO OFFICIALLY BLOCK THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS-
WHICH WOULD BEEN IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO RUSSIA’S HEAVILY MILITARIZED KALININGRAD TERRORITY.
THE DECISION BEING MADE OVER CONCERNS THIS OFFSHORE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL HAMPER THEIR RESPONSE TIME TO ANY POTENTIAL FOREIGN AGGRESSION FROM MOSCOW.
SWEDEN’S DEFENSE MINISTER BELIEVES THE TURBINES WOULD DECREASE HOW LONG THEY’D HAVE TO PREPARE FOR A HYPOTHETICAL INCOMING RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE FROM TWO MINUTES TO JUST 60 SECONDS.
BOTH THE BRITISH AND FRENCH MINISTRIES OF DEFENSE HAVE ALSO RAISED SIMILAR OBJECTIONS TO OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENTS FOR THE SAME REASONS.
HOWEVER, THIS WON’T MEAN A TOTAL BAN ON OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS IN SWEDEN.
THE COUNTRY APPROVED A NEW 81 TURBINE WIND FARM OFF ITS EASTERN, ALLY-FACING COAST-
EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 20-31, EXPERTS SAY IT COULD PROVIDE ENOUGH ENERGY TO POWER ONE MILLION HOUSEHOLDS.
TO GET MORE STORIES ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE POTENTIAL CONCERNS SURROUNDING THEM, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS FROM ME- JACK AYLMER.
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