Norway’s electricity production is almost entirely renewable, with hydropower dominating. The breakdown for 2023 is:
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Hydropower: 87.8% of electricity generation (132 TWh out of ~150 TWh total).
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Norway has over 1,700 hydropower plants, leveraging its mountainous terrain and high precipitation.
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Key facilities include the Svartisen and Tonstad plants.
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Hydropower output varies yearly due to precipitation; 2023 was slightly below the 2022 peak of 144 TWh due to drier conditions.
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Wind Power: 11.5% (17.3 TWh).
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Onshore wind has grown rapidly, with ~5 GW installed capacity by 2023.
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Offshore wind is emerging, with the Hywind Tampen project (88 MW, operational since 2022) and plans for 30 GW by 2040.
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Thermal Power (Natural Gas and Other): 0.6% (0.9 TWh).
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Primarily gas-fired plants on offshore platforms and small backup facilities.
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Coal is negligible, with no coal plants operating since the Svalbard plant transitioned to diesel and renewables.
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Solar Power: 0.1% (0.15 TWh).
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Solar is minimal due to Norway’s high latitude and limited sunlight in winter, but small-scale rooftop installations are growing.
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Other Renewables (e.g., Bioenergy): <0.1% (~0.1 TWh).
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Bioenergy is minor in electricity but more significant in heating.
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The Norwegian Ministry of Energy is calling for applications to its tender for three floating offshore wind project areas at Utsira Nord.
Each project area may have an installed capacity of up to 500MW of floating offshore wind. Interested parties must submit applications by September 15.
According to the Ministry, the allocation of project areas 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 applicants who score highest in a competition based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria.
The competition for state aid will be conducted after a maturation phase. To participate in the state aid competition, the developer must have submitted a license application and provided a bank guarantee for participation in the auction. The auction will only be held if at least two applications meet the requirements.
The winner will be the bidder with the lowest support requirement to realise their project. Bidders will not be permitted to bid higher than the upper limit for state aid of NOK 35bn ($3.4bn).
“In addition to providing power to a region with high electricity demand, the announcement presents significant opportunities for new contracts for the supplier industry. Utsira Nord is an important first step in the development of commercial floating offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf,” said Terje Aasland, Norway’s minister of energy.
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