The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has identified 20 new areas for offshore wind development amid a push to reach 30GW of capacity by 2040.
NVE said it had scoped out 20 areas of seas around Norwegian waters, each with good wind resources, and where “conflicts of interest between the environment, fisheries and other industries are relatively low.”
These areas, shown below, range along the entire Norwegian coast from Skagerak in the south to the Barents Sea in the north.
NVE watercourses and energy director Kjetil Lund said the areas should now be investigated in more detail to find the those best suited for offshore wind, though it said it is confident that within 19 of the 20 areas it should be possible to develop projects that both take account of land values and can coexist with other interests.
© Supplied by NVE“NVE’s work in identifying new areas provides a good knowledge base for the important discussion about which areas we can develop in a way that takes care of other important societal considerations,” oil and energy minister Terje Aasland said in response to the findings during a conference on Tuesday.
The government will now discuss the NVE proposal with other industries affected by offshore wind, through a new “coexistence group”.
NVE has also drawn up a proposal for a program for impact assessment, which has been submitted for consultation with a deadline of 12 June.
“We don’t have a final decision today on how much offshore wind will be built and where. We will need further studies on environmental and business interests, but also on economics, effects on the power system and the need for grids. In that process, it is conceivable that some areas will be reduced or eliminated altogether,” added Mr Lund.
Two areas are already well into the process, with Norway opening its first competitive auction for offshore wind last month, with a view to procuring up to 3GW of capacity by the end of the year.
This tender focuses on 3GW of capacity across the Utsira Nord and Sørlige Nordsjø II areas in the Norwegian North Sea.
Reports suggest a second tranche at Sørlige Nordsjø could be developed later as a “hybrid” scheme, with connections to the wider European continent.
The government has said it plans to announce future offshore wind areas by 2025, though NVE made clear that the remaining “it is not feasible to make an award by 2025” for the remaining 18 areas identified so far.
