The Norwegian wind industry has criticised the Oslo government’s lack of ambition in an energy policy that fails to support offshore wind.
Trade group NORWEA said a white paper released this week “does not follow up on the parliament’s unanimous request” for a strategy covering demonstration installations and other offshore renewables efforts.
“Instead the white paper delivers a statement of the fact that offshore wind is not viable . . . while we have room for utilising our onshore wind resources at a lower cost,” said NORWEA.
It said the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy had identified offshore zones for potential wind deployments but that these are not viable under the current regime. Offshore wind is more about industrial policy than energy policy, added NORWEA.
The group has called on industry and research bodies to help “formulate a strategy for the realisation of large-scale demonstration projects for offshore wind in Norway”.
It said: “The market will not promote the sudden creation of offshore wind farms in Norway while operating in a market with low electricity prices and in direct competition with cheaper, onshore wind and hydro.
“Nonetheless, it is vital . . . that Norwegian companies are shown a platform where they are able to demonstrate and validate their offshore technology for use in the international offshore wind industry.”
NORWEA added: “We have to showcase the potential for value creation and we have to show how this can be done. That is what the white paper on energy policy should have done in the first place.”
Image: current policies are unlikely to build on the single Hywind demo off Norway (Statoil)
