Thursday 4 July 2019

The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has proposed to open the areas "Utsira Nord" and "Sandskallen – Sørøya Nord" for offshore renewables. The ministry also asks for input on whether the area "Sørlige Nordsjø II" should be opened.

- Offshore wind power offers great opportunites for Norwegian businesses. In the immediate future the market will be in other countries, but if the costs for offshore wind power continues to fall it could also become competitive in Norway. It is now time to prepare for the future development by allocating space for offshore renewables, says Kjell-Børge Freiberg, Minister for Petroleum and Energy.

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

In the public consultation, three areas are presented:

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, close to shore and provides oppurtunities 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.