GCE NODE: Norway Needs Targeted Offshore Wind Policies

The Global Center of Expertise (GCE) NODE has called on the Norwegian government to establish a national strategy with the right incentives to help kickstart the local offshore wind industry.

According to Anne-Grete Ellingsen, CEO of GCE NODE, Norway needs to launch an industrial policy as other nations have comprehensive strategies to develop their business sector within the offshore wind market.

“The market can’t fix this. We need a targeted industrial policy that enables us to take a strong position in a global market,” said Ellingsen. “Norway should have ambitions to be a global player within floating offshore wind. In order to develop Norwegian world-class suppliers, we need a national strategy with the right incentives.”

At the beginning of July, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy submitted proposals to potentially open two areas for offshore wind development and sought input on whether to open a third area.

The two areas in question are Utsira Nord and Sandskallen-Sørøya Nord, while input was requested for the Sørlige Nordsjø II (Southern North Sea II) site, which could support between 1GW and 2GW of capacity.