“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç

Wind industry body Norwegian Offshore Wind (NOW) has launched an accelerator programme to help speed the development of offshore wind projects in the country.

Relevant startups and developers joining the NOW Accelerator will receive two years of “world-class mentorship, training, networking opportunities, and exposure to global markets,” NOW stated.

Among the confirmed partners in the accelerator program are the Blåvinge consortium – which includes Fred Olsen Seawind, Hafslund Eco and Ørsted – Equinor, Deep Wind Offshore, EDF Renewables, Corio Generation and Å Energi.

Norway is heavily reliant on oil, hydro-electric power and natural gas for its energy needs but the government is seeking to ramp up offshore wind in the coming years as it transitions towards renewables.

The government aims to have allocated sites capable of supporting 30GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040. The country currently has just 6MW of operational offshore wind capacity, according to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence, the research and data division of “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç.

NOW believes its accelerator programme will help boost the various offshore wind startups emerging in Norway recently, some of which have trialled prototypes at the Marine Energy Test Centre on the country’s western North Sea coast.