In brief
Norway’s Enova funded two floating offshore wind demonstration projects with a total of 3.94 billion Norwegian kroner. The projects aim to lower costs and prove commercial viability, with expectations of producing 300 million kWh of electricity each year—enough to power about 15,000 homes.
In southwestern Norway, two floating offshore wind demonstration projects have received a combined 3.94 billion Norwegian kroner—about $425 million—from Enova, the state‑owned enterprise that finances energy initiatives.
Fortius Offshore Wind will receive 2 billion kr (≈$216 million), while Fram Wind Solutions will be awarded 1.94 billion kr (≈$209 million). Both companies will install two 18.5‑megawatt turbines each over the next five years at the METCentre’s demonstration site off Karmøy.
The four floating turbines should generate roughly 300 million kilowatt‑hours of electricity annually, a figure that translates to the yearly consumption of about 15,000 Norwegian households.
Beyond power production, the projects will test floating foundations, mooring systems, and construction and operating methods, all identified by Enova as critical for reducing costs and enhancing the commercial viability of the technology.
Evy Glorstad, Enova chief executive, said: “Making the technology commercially viable could accelerate large‑scale renewable energy development, help Norwegian industry, and reduce transport emissions.”
Making the technology commercially viable could accelerate large‑scale renewable energy development, help Norwegian industry, and reduce transport emissions.
The projects were chosen through a competitive process that assessed electricity output relative to funding, potential for wider technological adoption, environmental impacts, and prospects for future cost reductions. Enova stated that disbursement of the funds is conditional on the projects being implemented.
Norway has long been a leader in offshore wind power, and these floating initiatives represent an effort to extend that leadership to deeper waters where wind speeds are higher and installation costs lower.
