WE Tech Solutions to provide WE Drives for Pohjanmaa-class Corvettes of Finnish Navy.

According to information published on May 17, 2021, Finnish company, WE Tech Solutions has been awarded an order for its WE Drives to control the RENK Advanced Electric Drive (AED) onboard the Pohjanmaa-class Corvettes for the Finnish Defence Forces.
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Artist rendering of future Pohjanmaa-class Corvette for Finnish Navy. (Picture source Twitter)

The WE Drives will be essential for smooth operation in the different operating modes of the Combined Diesel-Electric and Gas (CODELAG) Propulsion system. The WE Drives are supplied to RENK Augsburg, Germany, which is taking care of the overall integration of the electric propulsion and gearbox system.

“This is our first Navy Project and marks an important milestone for WE Tech Solutions”, says Mr. Mårten Storbacka, the CEO of WE Tech Solutions Oy. “We are grateful for the trust the Finnish Defence Forces puts in us and equally proud in taking up the challenge. After years of work, we are now ready to take on navy projects with hybrid propulsion solutions.”, Mr. Storbacka continues.

The multipurpose corvettes will be built at Rauma Marine Constructions’ shipyard in Rauma, Finland. Construction of the vessels will start in 2022 and the Finnish Navy will take them into operational use in 2028.

The Pohjanmaa class is a series of four multi-role corvettes currently under development for the Finnish Navy as part of the Squadron 2020 (Finnish: Laivue 2020) project. She will feature an ice-strengthened hull design, suitable for navigation in ice and shallow waters.  The new corvettes will have a length of 114 m and the beam about 16 m. The maximum draught of the ship will be about 5 m and a displacement of about 3,900 tones.

The Pohjanmaa- class will be powered by a combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG) propulsion system driving two shafts with a total output of about 30 megawatts. The ship will have the capability to reach a top speed of over 26 knots (48 km/h) with a cruising of about 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km).