Norwegians and Greeks to cooperate on offshore wind
European Economic Area (EEA) Grants have been awarded to support closer cooperation between the national wind associations of Norway and Greece.
Norwegian Offshore Wind and Hellenic Wind Energy Association (ELETAEN) are to work jointly on mapping the Greek supply chain in offshore wind and establishing links with Norwegian counterparts. A key focus will be identifying the Greek ports that are best placed to provide supply bases and operational support for new wind farms in the country’s waters.
Norwegian Offshore Wind manager, Arvid Nesse, said that the EEA Grants will provide a sound base for targeted collaboration and opportunities for the offshore wind sector in both countries. The two nations’ wind associations have already planned joint activities, as well as visits to each other’s markets.
"There are synergies between Norway and Greece in offshore wind," Nesse said. "This funding will boost our activities and strengthen our links to ELETAEN and other counterparts in the Greek market. The timing is perfect for Norwegian supply chain companies to position themselves into an emerging floating wind market."
Speaking for the Hellenic Wind Energy Association, Panagiotis Papastamatiou, CEO, stressed the need for Greece to make the most of its rich offshore wind potential with the development of a robust supply chain.
"Bringing knowledge and experience from Norway, a more mature market, will provide significant opportunities for Greece to meet its offshore wind targets in the most effective way for its economy," he said.
Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), published in December 2019, confirmed the need for both fixed and floating offshore wind farms, enabling the company to meet its 35% renewable energy target for 2030. The government has now set a target of two gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and this is expected to be formalised in revisions to the NECP in the months ahead.
