The Norwegian government has proposed to set tighter rules for onshore wind power developments to better protect nature. It includes stricter requirements on turbines height, shorter project implementation time and measures to ensure that projects are economically viable. In addition, Norway plans to give more say to local authorities in approving new projects. The government’s proposal needs to be approved by parliament.
Norway’s installed wind capacity doubled from 1,207 MW to 2,444 MW between the end of 2017 and the end of 2019. In 2019, the country froze the approval of any new wind power projects due to public protests. However, the development of existing permits was not stopped.
Earlier in June 2020, Norway decided to open two new offshore zones with a wind offshore potential of 4.5 GW. The first zone, Utsira Noord, is located west of Haugesund, while the second, Sørlige Nordsjø II, is located further south. According to the National Energy Agency NVE, the country's offshore wind potential is estimated between 6 GW and 30 GW (at depths of less than 20 m and distances to the coast of between 1 km and 10 km).
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