Iberdrola, TotalEnergies and Norsk Havvind have formed a consortium to bid in a forthcoming Norwegian tender for floating and bottom-fixed offshore wind projects for a total capacity of 4.5GW at two sites in southern Norway.
An Iberdrola spokesperson told Windpower Monthly that bids would be made for a floating project on the deep-water Utsira Nord site, 30km west of the island of Svendsholmen off south-west Norway, and the fixed-bottom site of Sørlige Nordsjø II south-west of Kristiansand.
Norway’s ministry of petroleum and energy is due to start this year the licensing process for the two areas it has earmarked for offshore wind development.
Several bidding partnerships have been formed to compete on Utsira Nord, including RWE, NTE and Havfram, Shell, BKK and Lyse, Ørsted, Hafslund Eco and Fred Olsen Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn – a joint venture of energy companies Eni and HitecVision – and a joint venture formed by Norwegian renewables developer Magnora and UK engineering firm TechnipFMC.
Meanwhile, trios of BP, Statkraft and Aker Offshore Wind, Equinor, RWE Renewables and Hydro REIN, Statkraft, Aker Offshore Wind and Aker Horizons, Ørsted, Hafslund Eco and Fred Olsen Renewables and Shell, BKK and Lyse are all targeting offshore wind development in Sølige Nordsjø II.
If successful, the Iberdrola, TotalEnergies and Norsk Havvind consortium will focus on strengthening local industrial skills and developing the Norwegian offshore wind supply chain, the partners stated.
“This agreement in Norway fits with Iberdrola's strategy to consolidate its position as the world's largest renewable energy company and builds on previous transactions and investments in offshore wind carried out by the company in recent years,” said David Rowland, offshore wind business development director at Iberdrola.
"Investing in energy projects in Norway and the North Sea has been at the heart of TotalEnergies' history for several decades, especially in developing the offshore industry,” said Olivier Terneaud, VP offshore wind at TotalEnergies. “The energy transition is gathering speed and Norway, with its world-class wind resources, is a great place to invest in new energy”.
Norsk Havvind chief executive, Peder Sortland, said his company would work hard with its partners “to develop the Norwegian offshore wind industry, reduce emissions and create new jobs for the Norwegian supply chain”.
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