The Hywind Tampen floating offshore wind farm, located in the Norwegian North Sea off the coast of Bergen, was inaugurated on August 23, 2023. This wind farm is strategically positioned between Equinor's oil and gas fields Snorre and Gullfaks. The project was developed by Belgian-Dutch company Ventyr, which won the auction to develop the offshore wind project in the Southern North Sea II near Norway's sea border with Denmark.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced in a press conference that the wind farm is a significant step towards integrating renewable power into Norway's energy system. With a capacity of 1.5 GW, the Southern North Sea II project aligns with Norway's goal of reaching 30,000 MW of renewable energy by 2040.
In 2020, Norway opened up areas on its continental shelf for renewable energy production at sea. The government has since collaborated with businesses to establish regulatory frameworks conducive to offshore wind development. The auction for the Southern North Sea II project was designed to select bids with the lowest cost in Norwegian øre/kWh for government support. Ventyr secured the project with a bid of 115 øre per kilowatt-hour.
The Ventyr consortium comprises Ingka Investment and Parkwind. Ingka Investment, a part of the Ingka Group that owns IKEA stores, is committed to a €6.5 billion initiative for 100% renewable energy consumption. Parkwind, Belgium's largest offshore wind platform, operates four offshore wind projects totaling 771MW in Belgium.
Following the announcement of project areas for offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf in March 2023, several companies submitted applications. Ultimately, Aker Offshore Wind, BP, Statkraft, Equinor, RWE, Norseman Wind, Shell, Lyse, and Eviny, and Adventure participated in the auction. Despite initial interest, only two companies bid in the auction due to concerns over profitability.
While some industry experts raised concerns about escalating development costs and insufficient subsidies, the Norwegian Offshore Wind remains optimistic. The successful auction is seen as a positive signal for cost reductions in the offshore wind sector. Ventyr's plan for the Sørlige Nordsjø II area in the south of the Norwegian North Sea marks a significant milestone in Norway's offshore wind development efforts.
