Norway will not join historic offshore wind effort in the North Sea – E24
Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will increase the expansion of offshore wind in the North Sea tenfold. – It is natural that Norway joins the collaboration, says researcher. But Norway will prioritize its own efforts.
– The government has recently launched a large-scale investment in offshore wind. From the Norwegian side, we now prioritize this work, in addition to areas in the Southern North Sea II and Utsira North.
This is what Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland says in response to questions about why Norway will not join the cooperation.
On Wednesday, agreements between Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium will expand infrastructure and offshore wind turbines, which together will provide a capacity of 150 gigawatts by 2050.
Leaders from the four countries and the EU Commission’s leader Ursula von der Leyen met for a summit on offshore wind in Esbjerg in Denmark. Norway was not welcome, writes Energy and climate.
See map of the plane below:
Part of Repower EU
The plan is to build four energy islands, ie artificial islands that collect electricity from offshore wind farms, where the electricity can be collected and sent on to the European mainland.
The investment is estimated to cost close to DKK 1.4 trillion.
– If we are to harvest all the wind that can be harvested in the North Sea, we will have to do it together, says Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to Jyllands-Posten.
The initiative comes as part of Repower-EU, a plan that will make the EU independent of Russian oil and gas.
According to an estimate, the offshore wind investment will be able to supply around 230 million European households with renewable energy. That is half of all households in Europe.
A bigger brand for Norway
– It is good that Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are investing in offshore wind. This means a larger market for the Norwegian supplier industry, and it is important to ensure European power supply and to achieve climate goals, says chief researcher John Olav Tande in Sintef.
He heads a research center for wind power, and was recently in Denmark for a meeting on cooperation in offshore wind between Sintef, NTNU and the Technical University of Denmark.
– I think it is natural that Norway connects more closely to the European cooperation on offshore wind now that Norway also has an ambitious and long-term goal for the development of offshore wind in Norway, says Tande.
Norway will expand 30 GW
The EU aims to have wind capable of producing a total of 300 gigawatts by 2050.
The new cooperation between Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium makes up about half of Germany.
In comparison, Norway has launched plans to expand 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040.
In order for Norway to succeed with the investment that the government has announced, a heavy investment in research, development and education is required, Sintef and NTNU believe.
Oil out and offshore wind inn
Aasland believes that Norway’s investment will give a green industrial boost, and ensure people and companies access to reasonable power.
– When we now invest heavily in offshore wind, we are also planning a major investment in the Norwegian supplier industry, he says.
– The offshore wind investment fits very well into a time course where the activity from the oil tax package phases out, and then offshore wind comes in, says Aasland.
He points out that the energy markets in the world are changing greatly and that the Norwegian petroleum industry is equipped to handle the changes we are facing.
– The government therefore wants a stable level of activity on the Norwegian shelf, with an increased share of new industries such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, aquaculture, minerals – and offshore wind.
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– It is important to take part in this race
Chief analyst Thina Saltvedt at Nordea believes that the cooperation between Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands sends important signals to Norway.
– Even though Norway is not part of this cooperation today, the EU’s overall commitment and intensification of wind power can be good news for Norway, she says.
At the same time, she points out that the new effort will contribute to increasing competition and an increased «technology race» to develop the best wind power solutions.
– It will of course challenge the pace and technology the Norwegian wind power companies are now working with, Saltvedt says.
She believes that increased competition opportunities will lead to a faster development of technology and competence, which is important for developing production, technology and distribution – ie the entire business community.
– For Norway, it is important to take part in this process and that we are not parked on the sidelines when new projects are to be developed and lions are to be awarded, she says.
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