Ilmatar is developing a solar farm with an annual electricity generation capacity of up to 350 GWh and a rated output of 350 MWp in Grums, central Sweden. The Nordic energy company Ilmatar has made a 50-year lease agreement with landowners in Grums, Värmland, Central Sweden. The company plans to build a large scale solar farm of 300 to 400 ha. on the leased land. It would make it one of the largest in Sweden.
The solar farm is the latest indication of Ilmatar’s strong growth in Sweden, and in less than a year, it has leased enough land to generate 4.2 TW/y of solar power per year. This meets the annual electricity demand of approximately 210 000 houses.
“We are strongly committed to expanding renewable energy production in Sweden and look forward to finishing construction and connecting the farm to the main grid as soon as all permits are in place. The Grums farm is a long-awaited boost for energy production and is of special local importance,” commented Christian Gustafsson, CEO of Ilmatar Solar.
In December 2022, the Swedish Energy Agency predicted that electricity demand in Sweden may double by 2035. Investments in fossil-free production by the steel industry in Norrland have increased energy demand, while the war in Ukraine has resulted in a European energy crisis. At the same time, businesses are investing heavily in the expansion of fossil-free energy. Many landowners are happy to lease out their land for the expansion of solar energy.