A report commissioned by developers Equinor, Source Galileo, Hafslund and Deep Wind Offshore from Multiconsult revealed that 338 GW of offshore wind energy can be developed in Norway in areas with a low level of conflict.

The Norwegian government's current target is 30 GW by 2040, but 338 GW is ten times the Norwegian government's target. Multiconsult points out that it is especially the areas suitable for floating offshore wind that have a low level of conflict. There are 28 areas that have been selected as suitable for floating offshore wind and 18 areas for fixed offshore wind.

"We have made an extensive data compilation in this survey, where we have examined bird life, fishing interests and environmental concerns, among other things. There are great opportunities for floating offshore wind in particular, but there are also good opportunities for renewable energy production within fixed offshore wind. At the same time, there are always consequences for the development of offshore wind that must be considered, but we believe we have identified many good areas that provide an important professional basis for the further discussion on the development of offshore wind", says Vegard Willumsen, head of department at Multiconsult.

After the data was revealed, Arvid Nesse, manager of the industry organization Norwegian Offshore Wind, pointed out that "it is uplifting to see that we have so many suitable areas in Norway, where the level of conflict is low. But primarily this is an important database for further discussions about offshore wind in Norway".