OX2 and Ingka Investments are expected to submit an application for another offshore wind-to-hydrogen project to the Swedish authorities, after the partners recently applied for a permit to build a similar project off the coast of Blekinge. The second energy hub combining offshore wind energy and green hydrogen production for which the partners are expected to request a permit would be built off Gotland.
Earlier this month, OX2 and Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group (the biggest IKEA retailer), filed the application under the act of Sweden’s Exclusive Economic Zone to build the offshore energy hub named Neptunus some 50 kilometres off the coast in the south of Sweden.
Neptunus is planned to comprise up to 207 wind turbines and have a total installed capacity of 3.1 GW. The energy hub is planned to include offshore hydrogen production and a pilot project to oxygenate the Baltic Sea. If permits are obtained, construction can start in 2030.
Now, the OX2 and Ingka Investments are expected to apply for a permit to build a similar project some 37 kilometres east of the island of Gotland.
This is according to a document sent by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to German authorities, in which the Swedish government is notifying Germany, as well as other neighbouring countries, of the project plans.
The project is the Pleione energy park that was part of the transaction when OX2 and Ingka partnered in 2023 .
The Pleione energy park is planned to have a 1 GW offshore wind farm that comprises 42–70 wind turbines and hydrogen production plant(s) on dedicated platforms or the foundations of the wind turbines.
In September last year, OX2 announced the 1.8 GW Ran offshore wind project which will be developed together with the Pleione offshore wind farm .
According to information on OX2’s website, the next milestone for the Pleione-Ran project is to complete the work on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) to enable filing the application in the spring of 2024.