EIA approval granted to 75-MW floating wind project in Norway

The Ministry of Energy in Norway has approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) programme for the 75-MW GoliatVIND floating offshore wind farm project, paving the way for the partnership behind the project to submit a licence application over the next few weeks.

The project company submitted a proposal for an EIA programme at the end of November 2023. The consultation process launched by the ministry attracted a total of 31 responses, Odfjell Oceanwind said in a press statement.

GoliatVIND is a demonstration project planned to be built on the border between the northern Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. Aside from Odfjell Oceanwind, the project counts as shareholders Source Galileo Norge and Kansai Electric Power as well as Eneos Renewable Energy Corp (ERE), which agreed to join as a shareholder in September.

“We are very pleased with the approval of the environmental impact assessment programme, which is a clear path towards licensing. To meet Enova's deadline and to be competitive globally, we are dependent on a licence being granted in 2025,” said Gunnar Birkeland, CEO of Source Galileo Norge and chairperson of Goliatvind AS.

The GoliatVIND station will be equipped with five turbines of 15 MW each, placed 5-11 km from the Goliat platform. The turbines will be located on Odfjell Oceanwind's Deepsea Star semi-submersible floating foundation, with the machines placed in the centre of the foundation.

The station is planned to be built in 2028/2029. Once completed, it will produce 320 GWh of clean electricity annually.

“In light of the postponement of Utsira Nord, and the fact that other countries also have upcoming projects in the near future, GoliatVIND represents a key project to secure Norway's position in floating offshore wind,” Birkeland noted further.

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