Denmark-based project developer European Energy is set to start construction on a 128.5 MW solar park in Svedberga, outside the southern Swedish city of Helsingborg. Upon completion, the plant will be the country's largest solar facility, with an annual production capacity of 175 GWh per year. Completion is expected by 2023, with production starting in 2024.

Construction of the solar park was halted in April when the Skåne county council rejected its application. It said that the land would be better used to help maintain the nation’s food supply. European Energy appealed the decision which the Land and Environment Court in Växjö. The court said that “the protective measures and adaptations that European Energy has proposed to protect the environment are sufficient.”

“It is a milestone for large-scale solar power in Sweden. This case is extremely gratifying for both individuals and companies in southern Sweden who has suffered from shortages and high electricity prices,” said Jens-Peter Zink, Deputy CEO of European Energy. “The solar park in Svedberga will generate new green electricity corresponding to the annual consumption of 35,000 residential households, which is the largest single contribution of new electricity to the region in many years.”

The solar park in Svedberga covers a total area of 232.5 hectares, with about one-third to be used for solar generation. The company said the remaining land could be used for agricultural cultivation. It also plants to reinforce biological diversity by planting trees and bushes on the outer edge of the solar park.

Sweden’s operational PV capacity reached 1.59 GW at the end of December 2021, up from 1.09 GW a year earlier, according to figures released by the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten). The figures showed that 2021 was the country’s best year for solar deployment yet, with around 500 MW of new capacity added to the grid.