Regulations
The legal framework for offshore wind consists of multiple different statutes and regulations. Below follows an overview of the most important regulations and a description of the authorities' roles.
The authority to issue licences for offshore wind power plants is assigned to the Ministry of Energy (MoE). The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) assists the MoE with technical advice in the licensing process, and the authority to approve detailed plans for the facilities is assigned to the NVE.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate's role is described in the Directorate's allocation letter (Norwegian only). The Norwegian Offshore Directorate also assists the MoE in issues that fall under the Petroleum Act.
The Offshore Energy Act (Norwegian only) (Act No. 21 of 4 June 2010) stipulates the framework for utilising areas for renewable energy generation at sea. The Regulations to the Offshore Energy Act (Norwegian only) (stipulated by Royal Decree on 12 June 2020) provide detailed regulation of the administration of offshore resources, including a more detailed description of the licensing process.
Offshore wind power plants planned within the baseline are covered by the Energy Act (Norwegian only) (Act No. 73 of 29 June 1990). Installations planned outside the baseline are covered by the Offshore Energy Act.
The Petroleum Act (Norwegian only) (Act No. 89 of 18 June 2021) applies for petroleum activities associated with subsea petroleum deposits subject to Norwegian jurisdiction. In certain instances, facilities that fall under the Offshore Energy Act can also fall under the Petroleum Act.
Offshore wind power plants will normally be handled pursuant to the Offshore Energy Act, but if the wind power plant is connected by cable to a petroleum field, one must also consider the need for a licence or approval pursuant to the Petroleum Act, e.g. for any changes to be made on the field installations to be supplied by the wind power plant.
If a wind power plant is only connected to petroleum fields, the Ministry will assess whether the wind power plant will be handled pursuant to the Petroleum Act and/or the Offshore Energy Act. If a wind power plant is connected to both the onshore grid and one or more petroleum fields, it is presumed that the wind power plant will be governed by the Offshore Energy Act and not the Petroleum Act.
For information about other relevant regulations, please see the Ministry of Energy's (MoE's) guidelines for awarding acreage, licensing process and applications for offshore wind power (PDF) (Norwegian only).
Sources
Updated: 03/04/2024