Sweden has canceled 13 wind farm projects along its Baltic Sea coast because of their impact on the country’s defense capabilities, the Swedish environment minister announced today.

Construction permits for these offshore wind farms were revoked because they “would have an unacceptable impact” on the Nordic country’s defense, minister Romina Pourmohtari explained at a press conference.

The decision comes after the publication of a study carried out by the armed forces which was published by the public television network SVT last Friday. The study shows that these projects could significantly disrupt Swedish defense sensors in the Baltic.

The towers and rotating blades of wind turbines emit radar sounds and cause a range of other interference, particularly underwater.

In view of the “serious security situation that Sweden is currently experiencing, defense interests must weigh more heavily on the scales,” Defense Minister Paul Jonsson emphasized at the press conference.

The 13 offshore wind farms, if they remained, would halve the time to detect missile attacks, from two minutes to one minute, he explained.

The minister added that the relative proximity of the “heavily militarized” Russian enclave of Kaliningrad was a “key point” in the decision taken by the Swedish government.

Tensions in the region have risen since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. A new NATO military base opened in Rostock, northern Germany, with the aim of coordinating the forces of Alliance member states in the region opposite Russia.

At the same time, energy needs from renewable sources are among the priorities.

Electricity consumption in Sweden could reach at least 300 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2045, double the current level, according to a memo consulted by AFP.