Parkwind, NorSea to bid for offshore wind licences in Norway

Belgian offshore wind developer Parkwind NV has formed a partnership with Norway’s NorSea Group to jointly bid in a licence round for offshore wind projects in Norway.

The duo will establish a new company that will be based in the Stavanger region of southwestern Norway, port services supplier NorSea said on Wednesday without disclosing any details about the application in the tender.

The new entity’s bid will be launched as part of the tender for the Utsira Nord and Sorlige Nordsjo II areas in the North Sea. The Norwegian government agreed to open the two areas last July, saying they provide the opportunity to develop a combined 4,500 MW of offshore wind turbines.

Utsira Nord spans 1,010 sq km (390 sq miles) and is suitable for both demo and larger projects, while the 2,591-sq-km Sorlige Nordsjo II can accommodate bottom-fixed wind parks and possibly floating solutions.

A tie-up of Equinor ASA, Norsk Hydro ASA and Germany’s RWE last month also announced plans to compete in the tender, as did the renewables unit of Norway’s Bonheur ASA and energy and infrastructure company Hafslund Eco. Equinor and Vargronn, the Norwegian renewable energy joint venture of Eni SpA and HitecVision AS, will bid for floating offshore wind capacity at Utsira Nord.

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