Norwegian renewable energy developers Vårgrønn and Å Energi and global offshore wind specialist Corio Generation, on Tuesday launched a new Norwegian offshore wind company called the Brigg Vind, dedicated to developing sustainable offshore wind in Norway.
The companies said that the Brigg Vind name paid homage to the strong maritime tradition and expertise of Norway, as in Norwegian, a Brigg is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. Vind – wind in Norwegian – captures the main business activity of the consortium.
The consortium was first established in 2021 and is now launching its new brand in the lead-up to the first Norwegian offshore wind tenders expected to open later this month.
Vårgrønn, a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and HitecVision, is Norway's largest pure-play offshore wind company, Å Energi is a Norwegian renewable energy company, and Corio Generation, based in the UK, is an international offshore wind developer and a portfolio company of the Green Investment Group. Vårgrønn is the project manager for the Brigg Vind consortium.
"Today, the Brigg Vind partners declare their intent to maximize their contribution to Norway’s national and global offshore wind ambitions, building a world-leading Norwegian supply chain, and delivering positive and enduring benefits for Norwegian communities," the companies said in a statement.
Brigg Vind will initially target the first round of awards for offshore wind in the Sørlige Nordsjø II area, in the Southern part of the North Sea. The Norwegian government has previously stated it plans to award up to 1500 MW of capacity in the first phase of the Sørlige Nordsjø II by the end of 2023. The Norwegian government has set a target to award areas equivalent to 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040, with the ambition for Norwegian companies to capture 10 percent of the global offshore wind supply market by 2030.
According to research commissioned by the Brigg Vind partners, Norway’s potential for commercial offshore wind capacity could exceed 50 GW by 2050, potentially creating more than 55,000 new offshore wind jobs in Norway.