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Norwegian offshore grid project secures funding

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 03/09/2021 Equinor
A new project which aims to support the development of offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf has received funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Iselin Nybø, announced that the Ocean Grid project will get financial support of 82.7 million NOK, through the Green Platform scheme.

Ocean Grid is being developed by Equinor, Agder Energi, Aker Offshore Wind, Deep Wind Offshore, Hafslund Eco, Fred. Olsen Renewables. The project aims to develop new technology, knowledge and solutions to enable development of offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf. It will look particularly at the way offshore wind will be connected to the grid. The work will touch on both bottom-fixed and floating wind farms.

The project partners will also bring their own financial contributions to the table, raising the total to 125.5 million NOK for the development of the offshore grid. The project will span over three years.

“Our objective is to realize offshore wind on a large scale. We have to build wind farms in a cost-effective way, and we of course need to get the power all the way to the customers. It's crucial to our success that the energy companies, research institutions and suppliers collaborate towards this goal,”
says Florian Schuchert, vice president of offshore wind solutions at Equinor (who leads the project).


The Ocean Grid project also aims to address the issue of market design and the regulatory framework linked to the development and operation of an offshore grid to connect large offshore wind farms. It will develop Norwegian technology and a supply industry to provide new cable designs, subsea technology and floating converter stations. Ocean Grid also has a research component, led by SINTEF, that will solve specific research challenges.


“This project will develop technology and solutions that are essential to succeed with offshore wind. It will lay the foundation for a profitable offshore wind development in Norway, and technology that can provide increased exports and new green jobs,”
says chief scientist at SINTEF, John Olav Tande.

“This project is important and on point to develop the right solutions and new technologies that will enable profitable offshore wind in Norway. This will lay the groundwork for new concepts, new jobs and a new supplier industry that can compete internationally,”
says the responsible for offshore wind at Fred. Olsen Renewables, Lars Bender, who will also act as chairman of the project's board.


For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here.

Image: Jens Økland, senior vice president for Business development in Renewables, Iselin Nybø, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Florian Schuchert, vice president Offshore wind technology.

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