The Norwegian government has launched a bidding process for three floating wind project locations at Utsira Nord area.
The awarding of project areas for offshore wind and state aid will take place in two stages, with a maturation phase in between.
In the first stage, three project areas will be awarded to the developers who score the highest in a competition based on criteria like cost, feasibility, maturity, innovation and technology and sustainability.
Each project area may have an installed capacity of up to 500 MW of floating offshore wind.
Developers wishing to participate in the competition have been invited to submit their applications, with the deadline set September 15, 2025.
The competition for state aid will be carried out after a maturation phase. To participate in the competition for state aid, the actor must have submitted a license application and provided a bank guarantee for participation in the auction. The auction will only be conducted if at least two actors meet the requirements.
One proposal will be awarded state aid, and the winner will be the one who bids the lowest support requirement to realize their project. It will not be permitted to bid higher than the upper limit of $3.36 billion (NOK 35 billion) in state aid, as determined by the Norwegian Parliament.
The winner of the support competition must establish a project as close to 500 MW as possible, depending on the chosen turbine size. Actors who do not win the support competition may apply to extend their exclusive rights to the project area under the provisions of the Offshore Energy Act.
"This is a joyful moment for the industry. With this, Norway is returning to the world stage in floating offshore wind, where we have all the prerequisites to become a global leader. Norway is a pioneer in floating offshore wind technology, and we have a strong supplier industry with many specialized companies,” said Arvid Nesse, CEO of Norwegian Offshore Wind.