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Announcement of Utsira Nord – an important step in the Government's Offshore Wind Initiative

The Ministry of Energy has announced a competition for three project areas for floating offshore wind at Utsira Nord. This initiative aims to boost renewable energy production, advance technology development, and provide growth opportunities for the supplier industry.
| Article | Written by Vilde Aa. Eriksen , Peter Aall Simonsen and Yannis (Ioannis) Litinas
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The allocation process for these project areas and state aid will occur in two phases, separated by a maturation period.

  1. In the initial phase, three project areas will be awarded to the top-scoring participants based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria, such as cost efficiency, realism and maturity, innovation and technology advancement, execution capability, sustainability, and positive ripple effects. Each project area can support an installed capacity of up to 500 MW. Interested parties are encouraged to submit their applications by 15 September 2025.
  2. The second phase involves a competition for the state aid scheme, requiring a license application and a bank guarantee for auction participation. The winner, who will receive state aid, will be the participant with the lowest support requirement, capped at NOK 35 billion.

This initiative represents a significant advancement in the government’s offshore wind strategy. The Minister of Energy Terje Aasland emphasizes the potential for new supplier industry contracts and the importance of Utsira Nord in the development of commercial floating offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf.

You can read more about the Utsira Nord announcement here (currently only available in Norwegian) https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/lyser-ut-utsira-nord/id3101519/

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