The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has assigned the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate to conduct surveys related to future offshore wind acreage awards.
OSLO, Norway — The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) has assigned the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) to conduct surveys related to future Norwegian acreage awards for offshore wind.
The NPD is working on a tendering process for preliminary surveys in the Sørlige Nordsjø II and Utsira Nord areas, opened for applications about 18 months ago.
The surveys will involve acquiring basic seismic, bathymetry and water column data, and they could start as early as this summer.
Meanwhile, the MPE is in the process of establishing a framework for awarding acreage for future offshore wind projects. The licensing process will ensure that successful bidders conduct a project-specific impact assessment once awarded given exclusive rights to the acreage.
They will be expected to spend up to two years studying the impacts of the projects.
Results from the NPD's mapping will be included in the basis for the impact assessments.
