Finland Solves Wind Power Problem With Giant Batteries

Finland is getting two giant batteries that will solve one of wind power's biggest headaches: keeping the lights on when the breeze stops blowing.

Norwegian utility Statkraft signed a seven-year deal with Sweden's OX2 to manage two massive battery energy storage systems in western Finland. Starting in 2028, the batteries will charge up when wind farms are cranking out extra power and release that energy when winds calm down.

The timing couldn't be better. Finland's wind power capacity exploded from 3,257 megawatts in 2021 to 9,433 megawatts in 2025. That's nearly triple the capacity in just four years. Wind now powers 28% of all electricity in the country.

But that rapid growth created a wild problem. In 2021, electricity prices dropped below zero for just five hours all year. By 2024, that number skyrocketed to 724 hours of negative prices, meaning there was so much extra power that producers actually paid people to take it.

The two new battery systems pack serious punch at 110 megawatts and 125 megawatts each. They'll be built right next to OX2's wind farms and share the same grid connection, making the whole system more efficient.

"What we're doing here is we're kind of buying access to the battery, and then we optimize the use of the battery," said Hallvard Granheim, who leads Statkraft's markets division. The deal gives OX2 guaranteed revenue to help finance the projects while giving Statkraft the tools to keep Finland's grid stable.

The Ripple Effect

Finland currently has about 1,050 megawatts of storage capacity, but these new batteries mark a turning point. They prove that renewable energy can be just as reliable as traditional power plants when paired with smart storage solutions.

The success in Finland is already spreading. OX2 is now investing in similar battery systems in Australia, Poland, Italy, and Sweden, showing how one country's solution can light the way for others.

This deal shows that clean energy's growing pains have clean energy solutions.