Petteri Orpon On Friday, the (kok) government reached a compromise on how close to the population new wind turbines can be built in the future.
The new distance requirement for wind power construction in the Land Use Act has caused controversy within the government this year. In particular, the Basic Finns have wanted to rein in wind power construction, but in the assembly, concern has been raised by the effects of the distance requirement on Finnish wind power investments, the fate of which has been warned especially by energy industry players.
The new policy looks like a political compromise, where a fixed distance requirement will apply to some of the new wind power parks, but shorter than what was presented in the bill in the summer.
Minister of the Environment and Climate Sari Multala (kok) justifies in the announcement of the Ministry of the Environment that the policy made now secures clean energy investments in Finland and at the same time creates rules for the growing construction of wind and solar power.
New fixed distance
According to the government’s policy, the wind power plants to be built in the future must be located at least 1.25 kilometers from the settlement, if the power plants are not located in the area designated for wind power in the provincial plan.
In the past, the distance required for settlement was determined on a case-by-case basis, for example, based on noise modeling, and wind turbines were built at a distance of approximately 800–1,000 meters from settlement.
In the wind power areas indicated in the provincial plans and in areas already built for wind power use, the distance of 1.25 kilometers would not need to be followed in the future, and it could be deviated from elsewhere as well, if four fifths of the owners of residential buildings accept it.
In the bill that was in the opinion round in the summer, the minimum distance was proposed to be at least eight times the total height of the wind turbine, which would have meant two to three kilometers.
“It doesn’t really go smoothly”
The CEO of the Suomen uuuuuut ry Anni Mikkonen says that the 1.25 kilometer distance requirement practically prevents wind power construction in southern Finland and industrial areas.
According to Mikkonen, the organization’s assessment is based on the one commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment Finnish Consulting Group to the reportaccording to which a distance requirement of just one kilometer would limit the construction of wind power in southern Finland. However, this estimate does not take into account the continuation of construction in the wind power areas marked in the provincial plan.
“In southern Finland, the wind power areas tend to be so small that they do not exceed the threshold of provincial zoning. It is interesting whether this will lead to the fact that all the smallest projects in southern Finland should be regionalized, which does not really make things go smoothly,” says Mikkonen.
On the other hand, residential areas are often located near industrial areas, so that Mikkonen believes that the distance requirement can hinder the construction of wind power in these areas.
In Mikkonen’s opinion, however, the model presented now is better from the point of view of investments in the industry than the proposal that was in the opinion round in the summer, which the industry’s interest organization estimates will significantly hinder investments.
The exact effects of the new model open
Kauppalehti asked the Ministry of the Environment, which is responsible for the Land Use Act, for information on what kind of effects the government’s current model is estimated to have on Finland’s wind power investments.
Building consultant Anna-Leena Seppälän according to him, the Ministry of the Environment does not yet have an assessment of the effects of the current policy in a published form, but according to him, a memorandum on the matter is to be published in the next few weeks.
Seppälä estimates that the distance regulation can somewhat complicate the construction of wind power in southern Finland’s smaller projects of less than ten power plants, which have not previously had to be marked in the provincial plan.
Based on the studies carried out for the preparation of the law, Seppälä estimates that wind power construction can continue so that, for example, the goals related to the electrification of society are met in Finland.
In early 2026, the government intends to present to the parliament a proposal for a new land use law, which includes the regulations governing the construction of solar and wind power.
THE FACTS
Distance of wind power to settlement
According to the government’s policy, the minimum distance of wind turbines to settlements should be at least 1.25 kilometers, if the more detailed formula governing wind power construction is not located in the area of wind turbines on the provincial scale.
Even in the future, there would be no separate distance requirement if the wind turbines are located in the wind power areas of the provincial plans. The distance requirement can also be waived if four-fifths of the owners of residential building sites approve it.
The distance regulation would not apply in areas already built for wind power use.
According to the government’s policy, the construction of solar power plants with a size of at least 50 hectares would always require zoning in the future.