“The Norwegian offshore wind industry is a highly capable and impressive industry that already delivers globally,” says Arne Thomassen, Mayor of Agder County.
He continued: “It is unfortunate that Norway has not come further. The feedback from industry is clear: politicians must unite behind broad, long term support and predictable framework conditions.”
GCE NODE and the Fremtidens Havvind project hosted the political delegation from Agder to strengthen dialogue between industry and decision makers. The delegation met with major industrial actors across the offshore wind value chain.
The message from companies was consistent: the sector needs predictability, stable political frameworks and a realistic development pace to scale effectively.
Torunn Høyum Eriksen, Member of Agder County Council, noted that the industry already plays a significant role in Southern Norway.
“This is a sector that is already important for Agder. We must continue supporting industry and work together politically, regionally and nationally to find good solutions,” says Høyum-Eriksen.
WindEnergy Hamburg brought together thousands of companies, policymakers and technology leaders. Thomassen pointed to the scale of the event as evidence of the opportunity.
“This is the biggest wind industry event in Europe. It shows that Norway has a unique chance to build entirely new industrial capacity as part of the green transition. The opportunities are enormous. I wish more national politicians had come here to meet the companies shaping this future,” says Thomassen.
GCE NODE and Fremtidens Havvind plan to continue inviting local and national politicians to future delegations, ensuring that policy development remains closely connected to industry needs.
“We appreciate the time and effort put in by some of our leading politicians. It is important for policymakers and industry to work well together to further develop the industry,” says Knut Mjåland, CEO of GCE NODE, and Kristian Johnsen, Project Manager at Fremtidens Havvind.
They credit Innovation Norway and NORWEP with organizing a strong Team Norway presence and well executed events during the exhibition.
