Factbox: Potential bidders in Norway's first offshore wind tender
08/06/2021 10:30
(Updates with NorSea/Parkwind joint venture)
OSLO, June 8 (Reuters) - Norway will identify additional
offshore areas to build wind parks amid strong interest from
energy firms for the two areas currently on offer, the
government said on Tuesday. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2NQ1YR
So far the government has earmarked two areas in the North
Sea to accommodate up to 4.5 gigawatt (GW) of floating and
bottom-fixed wind turbine capacity.
Utsira Nord, an area of 1,000 square km (386.1 square
miles), is located northwest of the oil industry capital
Stavanger and is seen as suitable for floating wind power.
Soerlige Nordsjoe II, some 2,590 square km and bordering the
Danish sector of the North Sea, is suitable for bottom-fixed
wind power turbines.
Companies and joint ventures likely to participate include:
Equinor EQNR.OL will seek acreage in both areas. It is
planning a bid with Eni renewables unit Vaargroenn for a
floating offshore wind farm at Utsira North and has teamed up
with Germany's RWE RWEG.DE and Norsk Hydro NHY.OL for a
planned wind farm at Soerlige Nordsjoe II. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2MT1N6
Germany's EnBW EBKG.DE and several Norwegian partners,
including wholesale and retail food supplier Norgesgruppen, have
announced the Norseman Consortia initiative to develop a 1.4 GW
wind farm in the Soerlige Nordsjoe II area. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2NC1F9
Aker Offshore Wind AOW-ME.OL is planning the 0.5 GW
Vestavindar project at Utsira Nord and the 1.2 GW Soennavindar
project at Soerlige Nordsjoe II. It has entered a partnership
with top utility Statkraft STATK.UL to develop the latter
site.
Italy's Eni ENI.MI and Norway's HitecVision HITV.NFF
have formed the Vaargroenn joint venture and seek acreage at
Soerlige Nordsjoe II, together with utility Agder Energi
AGDER.UL . urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2HX29X
Magnora MGNR.OL and TechnipFMC 1T1.F plan to bid for a
site at Utsira Nord through their Magnora Offshore Wind
partnership. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2LG2J3
Fred. Olsen Renewables, a subsidiary of Bonheur BON.OL and
utility Hafslund-Eco, plan to jointly develop offshore wind in
both areas. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2I31SR
Deep Wind Offshore, a joint venture of shipping company
Knutsen OAS and utilities Haugaland Kraft and Sunnhordland
Kraftlag, plans projects for both sites.
Seagust, a joint venture by industrial investment firms
Arendals Fossekompani (AFK) AFK.OL and Ferd, is considering
bids for both areas. L5N2NK3GS
A joint venture of offshore supply firm NorSea,
majority-owned by shipping firm WWI.OL Wilhemsen, and Belgian
offshore wind development firm Parkwind has said it planned to
apply for licences in both areas.
Shell RDSa.L has said it is considering a participation in
the tenders and that its sees large potential in Norwegian
offshore wind. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KE4ST
(Reporting by Nora Buli; editing by Barbara Lewis)
((Nora.Buli@thomsonreuters.com; (+47) 21 04 05 56; Reuters
Messaging: nora.buli.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))