Norway opens two offshore areas for 4.5 GW of wind power

The Government of Norway has announced it will be opening two areas in the North Sea for offshore renewables, including offshore wind power with a capacity for 4.5 GW of wind power. This means it will be possible to submit license applications for offshore wind power projects.

According to the Ocean Energy Act, areas must be opened by the government before license applications can be submitted.

These two areas will now be available for applications for offshore renewables:

Utsira Nord is located to the west of Haugesund, and is suited for floating wind power, which is the most interesting technology from a Norwegian perspective. The area is also large, 1010 square kilometres, close to shore and provides opportunities for demonstration projects and larger projects. Utsira Nord's size provides room for adapting to other interests in the licensing process. The ministry proposes to open this area to facilitate the development of such technology.

Sørlige Nordsjø II borders the Danish sector in the North Sea, and is relevant for direct export of electricity. The area is 2591 square kilometres, has depths which makes it possible to develop bottom-fixed wind power here, but floating solutions could also be relevant.

The areas will open on 1 January 2021, and limits have been set on the amount of wind power that can be developed in the areas. The developers could apply for project licenses from January 2021.

Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina Bru said: " Offshore wind power offers great opportunities for Norwegian businesses. In the immediate future, the market will be in other countries, but if the costs for offshore wind power continue to fall it could also become competitive in Norway. It is now time to prepare for future development by allocating space for offshore renewables."