Sweden bans construction of windmills on the border with Russia because they will interfere with shooting down Russian missiles
The Swedish government has not given permission to build 13 wind farms in the Baltic Sea due to the threat to national security posed by Russia.
Here's What We Know
It is said that the Swedish Armed Forces will have problems shooting down potential air targets.
"Based on documentation from the Armed Forces, the government assesses that the construction of wind power generation in these areas would lead to unacceptable consequences for Swedish military defence. In the serious security situation that Sweden is currently facing, with a war in our immediate vicinity, defence interests must be of great importance when making such judgements," the government said in a statement.
Sweden has banned the construction of large offshore wind farms on the east and south coasts, as they can interfere with radar systems responsible for detecting and warning of missile threats.
In particular, wind turbines can block the view at low altitudes, making it impossible to detect cruise missiles and drones in time, and making it difficult to detect ballistic missile launches - primarily from possible Russian threats.
The restrictions apply only to the eastern and southern coasts, while the western part of the country remains safe for the development of the "green" energy sector.
The ban applies to large "fields" of wind turbines, as the 13 planned power plants in the Baltic Sea would include about 1,500 wind turbines. Thus, Sweden has opted for national security by limiting the development of green energy in this region.
Source: Bloomberg