Norway – A cooperative agreement has been inked by RWE, NTE, and Havfram. The three businesses aim to compete in the Norwegian government’s floating offshore wind energy tender process, which will begin later this year.
Norway has high climate goals: by 2030, it hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 55 percent compared to 1990 levels, while still fostering green growth. The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has identified a new region for this purpose: Utsira Nord, located around 30 kilometers off the coast of Norway west of the island of Svendsholmen, has the option to construct up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of new floating offshore capacity.
The partners are certain that offshore wind energy will play an important role in the future energy mix and will be one of the answers to satisfying the growing demand for renewables. Furthermore, it will allow for the development of new sectors and the creation of new jobs.
Floating offshore wind technology development
According to current research, 80 percent of the potential marine locations for wind farms throughout the world are only suited for floating technology. Foundations solidly attached to the bottom are seldom economical from a depth of roughly 60 meters. As a result, RWE is pursuing extensive research and development for floating offshore wind technology. The company is presently researching the potential of this unique technology in three joint ventures in Norway, the United States, and Spain, putting it in an excellent position to carry out more projects in the Norwegian North Sea.
Havfram is a Norwegian subsea and offshore wind contractor with a global presence, including companies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and others. Havfram has extensive experience in challenging offshore operations planning and execution. The company has a big engineering and project implementation staff, which creates synergies across business divisions and will considerably aid the development of this Norwegian region.
In addition to Utsira Nord, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has designated Srlige Nordsj II as an offshore renewables region. RWE has already expressed interest in this North Sea area, which borders the Danish sector.
