As the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced, it submitted proposals to potentially open two areas for offshore wind development, while also looking to possibly open a third area.
Specifically, the two proposed areas are ‘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.
Kjell-Børge Freiberg, Minister for Petroleum and Energy commented
It is now time to prepare for the future development by allocating space for offshore renewables.
The potential capacity at the site ranges between 500MW and 1.5GW. The area is large and close to shore, providing opportunities for demonstration projects and larger ones.
In addition, Sandskallen-Sørøya Nord area is placed northwest of Hammerfest in Norway’s high north and has both shallow and deeper areas, making it suitable for both fixed-bottom and floating foundations. Similar to Utsira Nord, Sandskallen-Sørøya Nord is quite close to land which makes it suitable for smaller-capacity developments and demonstration projects, according to the ministry.
According to the Ministry, input is requested for the Sørlige Nordsjø II (Southern North Sea II) area. The far offshore Southern North Sea II area could support between 1GW and 2GW of capacity and provide a connection to the European continental grid due to its vicinity to the Danish economic zone.
The area could support both fixed-bottom and floating wind technology and is situated in an area with oil and gas activities.
Moreover, Freiberg noted that he wished to ensure of good coordination between the offshore petroleum and renewables industries. Therefore, I am asking for feedback on whether Sørlige Nordsjø II should be opened and how we best can facilitate the co-existence of these two industries.
The ministry has also proposed a regulation which supplements the ocean energy act and clarifies the licensing process. The public consultation ends on 1 November.
