The Norwegian government’s offshore wind initiative continues on a steady course. The government will announce the next project areas for development of offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2025 and is proposing 35 billion NOK for a support scheme dedicated towards the first floating offshore wind tender within the Vestavind F and Vestavind B areas.
‘Norway has an enormous potential for floating offshore wind on its continental shelf, but because the technology remains immature and costly, state support is required to accelerate its development. That is why we are proposing an ambitious support scheme. The support scheme will enable the delivery of more power to Norway and pave the way for a new industrial adventure‘, said Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.
The government is making significant progress in following up on its ambitious plan to allocate project areas for 30 GW offshore wind by 2040. The government has recently held a public consultation on the proposed support scheme models for the areas Vestavind B and Vestavind F. Such a scheme must contribute significantly to the development of floating offshore wind, and therefore the government has proposed a state funding framework capped at 35 billion NOK for this purpose in the state budget for 2025.
With this, the government is following up on the petition resolution brought forth by the Norwegian Parliament in conjunction with the revised national budget process in June.
Regularly scheduled tender rounds towards 2040
The government aims to conduct the next tendering round for offshore wind in 2025. Thereafter, the government intends to hold regularly scheduled tendering rounds and state aid competitions leading up to 2040.
‘The continued development of offshore wind in Norway requires access to suitable areas. The government's goal for offshore wind is industrial development, and I am pleased to see that our supply chain companies are eager to get started‘, said Minister Aasland.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has been tasked with conducting a strategic impact assessment of 20 areas that may be suitable for the development of offshore wind. The strategic impact assessment of the areas Vestavind F, Vestavind B, and Sørvest F will be completed by November this year. The strategic impact assessment for the remaining 17 areas will be completed in June 2025.
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Source: Government.no
