Norwegian Offshore Wind

✅ Costs going down, according to Energy Transition Outlook by DNV ✅ Norwegians and Koreans ink offshore wind deal ✅ Learn about the world's largest funding programme ✅ Featured member Poly Products BV and upcoming events We bring you this week's offshore wind updates!

The Celtic Freeport is officially open for business 🤝 - That's good news for supply chain targeting floating offshore wind, says Tor Arne Johnsen. They Celtic Freeport covers the ports of Milford Haven and Port Talbot in Wales. They focus on accelerating the low-carbon economy, particularly through floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. The Free port is expected to create around 16,000 green jobs, attract £5.5 billion in investment, and support the development of green technologies.    -This is good news for the UK and the supply chain targeting floating offshore wind, says Alfred Risan, leader of the Working Group for UK in Norwegian Offshore Wind. The freeport is expected to be integral in the development of a strong supply chain in floating offshore wind, and it can enable substantial investments in UK in general and in Wales in particular. This is also an opportunity for the Norwegian supply chain.    The process on the Celtic Sea Leasing (Round5) round is also underway with prequalification and bidding for capacity of up to 4.5 gigawatts of floating offshore wind projects off the coasts of South Wales and South West England. Projects are expected to be delivered, with some extending into the early part of the next decade.   -With the Celtic Sea leasing round underway and the Celtic Freeport up and running are two building blocks for creating a commercially interesting floating offshore wind market in the Celtic Sea secured, says Tor Arne Johnsen (Pictured below), EU-advisor in Norwegian Offshore Wind. 2025 could be a pivotal year for the Celtic Sea and NOW will organize activities for this development accordingly.    ✅ Freeports facts: Freeport measure in the United Kingdom involves designating specific areas as special economic zones where normal customs rules, such as taxes, do not apply until goods leave the zone. These zones aim to boost economic activity, attract investment, and create jobs in regions that have historically missed out on such opportunities.   ✅ Key features of UK Freeports include: Tax incentives: Businesses operating within Freeports benefit from various tax reliefs, including on stamp duty, employer National Insurance contributions, and business rates1. ✅ Customs benefits: Goods entering Freeports are not subject to the usual import procedures and duties until they leave the zone2. Investment in infrastructure: Freeports receive initial seed funding to develop infrastructure and support local economic growth2. ✅ Innovation hubs: They are intended to become centers for innovation, particularly in sectors like manufacturing and green energy3. The UK government has established several Freeports across the country, including in regions like Teesside, Liverpool, and the East Midlands.

DNV: Cost of floating offshore wind is expected to fall from $280 per MWh for investment decisions made in 2030 to $82 for those made in 2050 ⚡ The cost of fixed-bottom offshore wind is expected to fall from $88 per MWh to $61 this same period. Really uplifting findings released today in the new Energy Transition Outlook, claiming that wind power is the only scalable alternative for new power production! DNV maintains last year's forecast for the power balance, which predicts a likely annual power deficit of approximately 10 TWh in the early 2030s.  "Onshore and offshore wind are the only available and scalable options for significant new power production. Local opposition is delaying onshore wind projects, while high costs and slow auction and permitting processes are hindering offshore wind development. Despite these challenges, Norway is well-positioned to succeed with wind power both nationally and as a leading supplier of offshore wind technology internationally. I encourage both the industry and the authorities to accelerate the efforts already being carried out in this domain, says CEO of DNV Remi Eriksen DNV projects Norway will add 13 GW of new onshore wind power and 21 GW of offshore wind by 2050, with fixed-bottom offshore wind contributing slightly more than floating installations. Overall, wind power will account for 84% of new power production by 2050. Kristin Nergaard Berg - Sille Grjotheim - Magnus Karlsrud Dahlen

News in today: NVE recommends to expand the capacity at the floating offshore wind area by Utsira Nord with up to 750 MW. -We believe that the scope of offshore wind in Vestavind F can be increased somewhat. Our recommendation is to increase the capacity by 500–750 MW. This can either be achieved by allowing for increased capacity in the three existing project areas within Vestavind F or by establishing a new project area. To limit the overall impact on birds, only one of these alternatives should be chosen, says Inga Nordberg from Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat in a press release. Vestavind B is a new area that the Ministry of Energy has requested NVE to investigate and assess for potential opening. The area is located in the North Sea off the coast of Vestland County. – We recommend that Vestavind B not be opened for offshore wind at this time. While the area is technically suitable, the negative impacts of offshore wind development here could be significant for the petroleum industry, shipping, and aviation. However, the environmental impact on biodiversity in this area is less pronounced compared to the other two areas. We suggest comparing Vestavind B with other relevant areas to determine whether there are alternative sites that are equally suitable technically but with fewer conflicts, says Nordberg. NVE therefore recommends postponing further processes for Vestavind B until the strategic environmental assessment of the other 17 areas is delivered in June 2025, at which point a new evaluation of the opening question can be conducted. The picture below is from Havvindkonferansen 2023, where NVE-director Kjetil Lund presented the timeline for the strategic assessment. Read more about the assessment in the comments. Astrid Bergmål - Terje Aasland - Arvid Nesse - Ivar Slengesol

Fantastic news from South Korea! Norwegians and Koreans ink offshore wind deal to secure cooperation 🇰🇷 🤩 Korean Wind Energy Industry Association (KWEIA) and Norwegian Offshore Wind signed an MOU in Incheon today. The Memorandum of Understanding aims to get business going between offshore wind companies. Both Norwegian supply chain and developers are interested in the emerging Korean market. Especially within floating projects, the potential for contracts is large. - We in Norway see great potential in the Korean offshore wind market. The supply chains in these two countries can build on each other’s capabilities, and we hope to further strengthen our collaboration through this MOU with our friends in KWEIA, says Hans A. Hansen, who leads the Working Group for South Korea in Norwegian Offshore Wind.    With the Norwegian ambassador as a witness, the two networks signed the MOU during the Korea-Norway Offshore Wind Business Forum in Incheon. -To succeed with offshore wind in South Korea, we need to explore avenues for cooperation. We hope that, centered around the MOU signed with Norwegian Offshore Wind, both nations can establish themselves as leading players in the offshore wind energy industry, says Vice Chairman Jin-Ki Sung from KWEIA. The future for floating offshore wind in South Korea looks promising. According to the latest Market Overview Report from TGS-4C Offshore, South Korea are expected to install 7,3 GW of floating offshore wind already by 2030. Norway’s first large scale floating wind farm will most likely be put to tender in Q1 2025. Recently, three new projects have signed with the world leading test centre for floating offshore wind, METCentre, on the West Coast of Norway. -The Norwegian industry has through our pioneering projects in floating offshore wind built a strong supply chain, and our expertise in marine operations, engineering and project management can contribute positively in Korea, says Hansen. Norway and Korea already have a long history with collaboration in the maritime industry. In May, the global industry in floating offshore wind will gather in Haugesund, Norway, for the annual Floating Wind Days. NOW with partners plans for a strong South Korean presence at the event. Roger Martinsen - Anne Kari Hansen Ovind - Gunn Kim - Innovasjon Norge - Royal Norwegian Embassy in Seoul - Arne Vatnøy

Storage space on an OSS platform is expensive. Our member Poly Products BV offers a solution that makes the most of the available space. Their ambition in the wind energy market is to bring the benefits of Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP) products into this relative young market. Their experience in composites since 1969 bring a lot of FRP engineering power and solutions to the table. One of the solutions is the FRP Storage Tank, usable storage of liquids like different kinds of water and fuel for an OSS platform. -By joining Norwegian Offshore Wind, we are excited to collaborate with other innovative companies to show the offshore wind industry at large the benefits of FRP usage. The stage that Norwegian Offshore Wind provides is an example of the entrepreneurial nature of this cluster, and is hopefully very helpful in achieving this ambition, says Michiel de Bruijcker, Managing Director of Poly Products. Remon van Falier

The EU Innovation fund helps de-risk and accelerate offshore wind technologies. Learn more from our EU-advisors Martine and Tor Arne 🇪🇺   The EU Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest public funding programmes dedicated to demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. Its purpose is to de-risk investments in new technologies, making them more attractive to both private and public investors. Between 2020 and 2030, the fund is expected to provide approximately €40 billion in grants. These are allocated through regular calls for proposals and competitive bidding processes, supporting projects that have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of the Innovation Fund is to bridge the gap between early-stage innovative technologies and market-ready solutions, accelerating their deployment.    Norwegian Offshore Wind is hosting a Webinar on the EU Innovation Fund in collaboration with Enova SF. Find the link to the webinar in the comments.    -The objective of the Innovation Fund is to reduce the commercial, industrial and technological risks for renewables, making it an excellent tool for the offshore wind industry. It supports both the CAPEX and the OPEX, with funding for the operations phase of a projects available for up to 10 years. When combined with other public soft funding measures, such as the ENOVA funding, the business case for floating offshore wind becomes more attractive, says Tor Arne Johnsen, EU adviser in Norwegian Offshore Wind.    In the latest Innovation Fund call, 85 innovative net-zero projects were awarded a total budget of €4.8 billion, including six wind-related projects.   -Over the last couple of years, the EU Innovation Fund has targeted both offshore wind demonstration projects and the fabrication of components for the wind sector. A notable example is the NextFloat+ Project, which secured €13.4 million to support the industrialisation of floating wind in early 2024. The project, through a consortium including X1 Wind, Technip Energies, and NextFloat Plus S.A.S, will deploy a 6MW floating wind platform at a test site in Mediterranean Sea, says EU adviser in Norwegian Offshore Wind Martine Elise Farstad.    Two additional examples that showcase the Innovation Fund’s diverse focus include: ✅ WINDPL – which focuses on establishing a sustainable manufacturing facility for XXL offshore wind towers in Poland. ✅ HIPPOW – which involves the development of a highly innovative prototype for what could become the most powerful offshore wind turbine generator in Denmark.

Norway and Portugal bolster collaboration ahead of Iberia's offshore wind venture. The two countries come together in Lisbon next week 🇵🇹 🇳🇴 "Portugal and Norway: Fostering Offshore Wind Supply Chain Development" takes place at the Museu do Oriente, Lisbon, on December 3. The open event is being hosted by WavEC - Offshore Renewables in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy in Lisbon, Innovasjon Norge and Norwegian Offshore Wind. The conference comes just months after the Portuguese Government unveiled an updated version of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for 2021-2030, containing ambitious targets for offshore wind energy as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the country's energy transition. Keynote speakers include Hanne Brusletto, Norwegian Ambassador to Portugal and Lídia Bulcão, Portugal’s Secretary of State for the Sea. Other participants include DGEG - Direção Geral de Energia e Geologia, DNV, Source Galileo Norge, Qair Group, TechnipFMC, Odfjell Oceanwind , Vestervind Contractors, Global Maritime, Etermar Energia, Principle Power, X1 Wind, Gazelle Wind Power Limited, Wergeland Group, Reach Subsea, SINTEF, APDL (Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo), Port of Aveiro, Port of Setúbal, the Norwegian Marin Energi Testsenter AS (METCentre), plus Portuguese Test Site Companhia de Energia Oceânica. The event will be closed by Portugal’s Secretary of State for Energy. Tor Arne Johnsen - Einar Tollaksvik - Arne Vatnøy - Janete Correia Goncalves

✅ Meet with Parkwind in Stavanger in January! ✅ Explore opportunities in the North of Norway at Havblest 2025 ✅ 12 developers selected for offshore wind auction in France ✅ Get to know our member Hyarks and see upcoming events Wherever you are in the world, it's Friday and time to prepare for the weekend with our weekly news!

Cost predictions in offshore wind will shape public opinion and influence policy makers. We need to stay updated and nuanced 💡 It was inspiring to hear analysts on stage in Oslo today, discussing the various predictions and what lies behind them. A full packed house is evidence that the industry is hungry for insight. Thank you to our friends in Offshore Norge for organising these discussions together with us. A special thank you to Kjetil Lund, director of Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat, for meeting the industry and debating the findings from the directorate's latest prediction. Delving into analysis is important to understand the various factors driving costs. Rystad Energy, Menon Economics and DNV guided us through their ways of thinking in a brilliant manner. No one holds a crystal ball, but luckily, we see clear tendencies that costs - both for bottom fixed and floating - are going down! Siri Espedal Kindem - Equinor - Per Lund - Eli Wærum Rognerud - Roger Pedersen - Arne Vatnøy - Iben Fürst Frimann-Dahl - Erik Alfred Mokal Henriksen - Vårgrønn - Erik Dugstad - Odfjell Oceanwind - Arvid Nesse - Even Joachim Aarebrot Winje