Norway launches milestone offshore wind tenders

Norway's Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland has launched the tender for two offshore wind farms in Norway.

It's the country's first competition for offshore wind areas and an important step towards the government's ambition of allocating areas for 30GW offshore wind by 2040.

The competition includes two areas on the Norwegian continental shelf, Sørlige Nordsjø II and Utsira Nord.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented on the announcement: "In order to further develop Norway, the answer to almost all questions is that we need more energy production. And that is why today marks a milestone."

"Norway has great opportunities in offshore wind. Our areas at sea, are five times larger than areas on land. And there is a lot of wind along our coast. In addition, we have skilled professionals and companies that will contribute to develop this technology," added Støre.

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The application deadline for Sørlige Nordsjø II is 4th of August 2023 and for Utsira Nord 1st of September 2023.

Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland said that the government is expecting to receive many good applications from developers, allowing them to allocate the project areas later this year.

Sørlige Nordsjø II

Production of renewable energy at Sørlige Nordsjø II, first phase will be awarded to one applicant through pre-qualification, followed by an auction. The area will be awarded by the end of the year.

There is a maximum of eight applicants who may participate in the auction.

The winning bidder will sign a two-sided contract for difference and will have to install between 1.4GW and 1.5GW in the area.

Read more: Statkraft’s return to Northern Europe’s “challenging and exciting” offshore wind space

Utsira Nord

Production at Utsira Nord will be awarded to three actors by the end of 2023.

The area has been opened for a capacity of 1,500MW and will include three projects that will be allocated a project area.

Work to assess new areas for offshore wind has already started, with the government planning a new announcement of offshore wind areas in 2025.

The areas of Utsira Nord will be awarded based on qualitative criteria, specifically facilitating innovation and technology development in floating offshore wind.