Statkraft, Aker Offshore Wind and Aker Horizons sign wind agreement

The companies will combine their complementary skills and expertise to work together to explore the possibility to develop, operate and deliver power from commercial scale offshore wind facilities in Norway. In 2020, the Norwegian government announced that it will open for applications for licenses for the development of wind power in two areas in the North Sea, namely Utsira Nord and Sørlige Nordsjø II. The co-operation will explore the opportunity for bottom-fixed offshore wind at Sørlige Nordsjø II (SN2), for which the companies will establish an integrated project team, 50/50 split between Aker Offshore Wind and Statkraft, for joint preparation and submission of an acreage application and further development activities.

Statkraft’s ambition is to be a world leader in renewable energy and as part of this, is building out a presence as a wind and solar developer. The company sees an opportunity to build on these existing skills and explore offshore wind possibilities in Norway together with Aker Offshore Wind and Aker Horizons. The opportunity is driven by falling investment costs, the location of the SN2 project facilitating export of the power produced offshore to other European markets, and the electrification of Norwegian oil and gas installations.

“By entering a co-operation with Aker Horizons and Aker Offshore Wind, we are exploring a value-creative opportunity in Norway. We have expertise in the development and operations of wind power and have previously been engaged in offshore wind in the UK. Strong growth, falling technology costs and a changed competitor landscape indicates that offshore wind will take a larger role in the European energy transition; therefore, we see the co-operation with Aker as an opportunity for substantial value creation and accelerate Europe’s green transition,” says Statkraft Chief Executive Officer, Christian Rynning-Tønnesen.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/27012021/statkraft-aker-offshore-wind-and-aker-horizons-sign-wind-agreement/