Concession granted for country's largest wind plant

Nord-Trøndelag Elektrisitetsverk (NTE) has been granted a concession by state Energy Agency (NVE) to install the largest wind power plant in the country. The 99 turbine project at Ytre Vikna will produce 870 GWh a year, or as much as 30% of the government's target of 3 TWh of electricity from wind power by 2010. NVE says it approved the proposals because of the ideal conditions for wind power in the area and the acceptable production costs in the application. NTE estimates total investment will add up to some NKK 2.5 billion (EUR 0.3 billion), part of which will go towards upgrading the 120 kilometre grid connection from Kolsvik in Nordland to Ytre Vikna. Even though a concession has been granted, NTE will not make a final decision about when building will start until more is known about the possible introduction of a market for trade in green power certificates (page 19).