Thursday 4 February 2021

At the turn of the year, the Marine Energy Regulations will enter into force, and the areas Utsira North and Southern North Sea II will be opened up for renewable energy at sea. Many people request information about the processing of offshore wind power projects. The Ministry has established a project for the work with offshore wind power. The purpose is to assess and study the framework for how offshore wind power resources are to be developed for the benefit of society.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy will consider offshore wind power projects when the overall framework for the work with offshore wind power has been further clarified. We will give clear signals with a good deadline when it becomes relevant to start processing individual cases of offshore wind in the opened areas.

It will thus be an opportunity for all interested actors to register an interest in the areas after further guidance has been provided by the Ministry. It is important to get a good overview of current projects.

Offshore wind power will be an important topic in the White Paper on the long-term value creation from Norwegian energy resources. The message will be about what opportunities this gives us as an energy nation, and see the connection between our energy resources.

The Ministry is concerned with shedding light on all relevant aspects of the business before major decisions are made on who will be allowed to proceed with offshore wind projects on the Norwegian shelf. We are preparing a elaboration of the regulations. Supplementing the Marine Energy Regulations is under consideration, and an application guide is being worked on for players who want to develop offshore wind power projects. Any regulatory changes must be consulted before they can be determined.