OSLO: The Norwegian seas could accommodate 40 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2050, or 10% of Europe-wide targets, but this requires government support, an alliance of Norwegian oil and renewable energy firms, said on Tuesday.
Norway, western Europe’s largest oil and gas supplier, is a relatively late entrant into offshore wind. This year, for the first time, authorities will issue licences to build wind farms offshore in two areas of the North Sea.
The European Union and Britain have planned for 400 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050, with Norway well-positioned to supply this market, said the alliance, which includes Equinor , Statkraft, as well as offshore wind startups Aker Offshore Wind and Vaargroen, a joint venture of Eni and HitecVision.
They called on the government to complete the first tender by the summer, and said Norway should aim to have 500 megawatt (MW) of floating offshore wind capacity installed by 2030, in addition to bottom-fixed wind farms with links to Europe.
Granting support for domestic projects could help Norwegian offshore wind suppliers grow internationally, capturing a tenth of the market share by 2030 and generating some 9 billion euros ($11 billion) in annual revenue, the firms added.
The only project currently in a development phase off Norway is Equinor’s pilot to use floating offshore wind turbines to power several oil platforms in the North Sea.
Equinor and other oil firms, including Aker BP, are looking at the possibility to expand the use of wind turbines to replace carbon dioxide-emitting gas power turbines on offshore platforms.
The move could help to achieve Norway’s overall goal of cutting its emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, the firms said.
