For three years, the collaboration project Future Offshore Wind (Fremtidens Havvind) has brought Agder together to establish offshore wind competence and industry in the region.
At year-end, the project will be terminated and – if every- thing goes according to plan – replaced by a new project designed to continue to unify and promote Agder as a powerhouse for offshore wind development.
“It would be unwise not to build on what we have already achieved. Future Offshore Wind had three goals. One was to establish a national competence center for offshore wind in Kristiansand. This was accomplished in 2023 with support from the Norwegian government, Sparebanken Sør and others. Another goal was to establish an operational base for offshore wind. This is now being facilitated by commercial players,” says Fidjeland.
What remains is to establish a marshalling port in the Agder region and to comprise a supplier network for offshore wind.
“We intend to build project organizations that will work towards these goals in coming years,” says Fidjeland.
Keeping the momentum also makes sense given the new Norwegian licensing round in 2025, which is promised to be much larger than the initial round, and a steady flow of European projects.
“It is important to keep up the good work and prolong the initiative that has benefitted the whole region. The work done in Agder has been noticed by both the government and the consortiums bidding for licenses. We will continue to stand strong together,” says Fidjeland.
He is certain that offshore wind will be a large and important industry for the Agder region in coming years.
“The offshore wind market is rapidly growing, and the industry is becoming more profitable. The latest licenses for bottom-fixed European windfarms were awarded without any subsidies. We will see many new projects, and our region and our industry will take its share of the market,” says Fidjeland.
