The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy is today submitting proposals to potentially open two areas for offshore wind development, and to ask for input on whether to open a third area.
The two areas that the ministry plans to open for offshore wind development are Utsira Nord and Sandskallen-Sørøya Nord.
Utsira Nord lies west of Utsira and Haugalandet and is suitable for floating wind technology. The potential capacity at the site is between 500MW and 1.5GW.
Sandskallen-Sørøya Nord area is located northwest of Hammerfest and has both shallow and some 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, the ministry said.
In addition, 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 potentially support an oil and gas field as well, the ministry said.
Back in June, the ministry announced that it will send proposals for the opening of Utsira Nord and ask for input on Sørlige Nordsjø II, without mentioning the Sandskallen-Sørøya Nord area.
