The 1.5 gigawatt sea breeze project again experienced a setback

Utsira Nord, a 1.5 gigawatt floating 1.5 gigawat -placed sea wind, has encountered a new setback. Norwegian energy company Nte energi and German RWE have announced that they will withdraw from tendering.

The issue was reported by the Norwegian magazine Teknisk Ukeblad whose by Companies justified their decision by the prolongation of the process and the need to target investments in other areas, such as modernization of hydropower plants and developing ground wind power.

“We still believe that floating sea wind power will be an important source of renewable energy in the future, and we will not exclude the opportunity to continue the project,” NTE Energia CEO Inge Forseth says in the bulletin.

The Utsira Nord project has previously lost other significant players. Shell and the world’s largest sea breeze company Ørsted have already withdrawn from the project, which has increased uncertainty about the future of the project.

Not profitable before 2040?

Utsira Nord’s floating sea breeze project started in 2020. It is located on the southwestern coast of Norway, about 30 kilometers west of Utsira Island in the North Sea. The tendering of the project has been delayed several times and, according to the current plan, is expected to be organized this year.

The area is divided into three parts, each of which can be granted to a different developer. Windeuropen of the European Wind Power Industry Administration by The Norwegian government has strengthened the aid of approximately EUR 3 billion for one 500 -megawatt floating sea breeze project.

If the project is implemented as planned, the first 500 megawatt sea wind park would, according to Windeurope, would become Europe’s largest floating sea wind power park when completed.

The Norwegian Hydropower and Energy Agency, NVE, estimated in October that the floating sea wind power is unlikely to be economically viable in the country before 2040. The Norwegian government has set a target of 30 GIGAWATATIONS by 2040.

Maritime wind projects also face difficulties elsewhere in Europe. Last year, a bid was held in Denmark to cover a total of three gigawatt areas, But no bids were submitted in tendering.