Vårgrønn aims to become a leading company in the development, operation, and financing of renewable energy projects. The company has established strong and strategic partnerships for realizing opportunities in Norwegian offshore wind:
- Utsira Nord, where we collaborate with Equinor on the development of floating offshore wind.
- Sørlige Nordsjø II, where we, together with Agder Energi and Corio Generation, will develop fixed-bottom offshore wind.
Vårgrønn submitted a response to the consultation on guidelines for area allocation, licensing process, and applications for offshore wind power, and proposal for amendments to the Offshore Energy Act (havvindenergilova) and Offshore Energy Regulation (havenergiforskriften). In our consultation response, we also provide input on other parts of the framework for offshore wind:
- Solid framework conditions are important for developing the industry. Clear, long-term ambitions for offshore wind should be set and plans for regular announcements of offshore wind areas should be prioritised.
- Allocation of a project area in Sørlige Nordsjø II (SNII) should be primarily based on qualitative criteria, as the framework is new, and we are building a new industry in Norway. Auctions may make it more difficult to ensure opportunities for the Norwegian supplier industry.
- The development of the offshore wind industry in Norway will be strengthened by increasing capacity in SNII, and this can lead to more efficient infrastructure development. It is possible to increase the capacity from 3 to 6 GW while maintaining coexistence with other industries - through the best use of area.
- Hybrid grids are crucial for the commercial development of offshore wind projects in SNII, and the authorities should facilitate the development of hybrid grids already in the first allocation of areas in SNII.
The consultation response can be read on the government's website here.
