12 WHY NORWAY AS A GREEN BATTERY …
291
Furthermore, in 2019 the government committed to granting Equinor
NOK2.3 billion (roughly e230 million) to Hywind Tampen to electrify
the oilfields Gullfaks and Snorre by 2022 through an 88 MW floating
offshore wind farm (E24 2019; Regjeringen.no 2019).
While these are interesting developments, they hold few immediate
implications for the green battery idea. Conservative estimates state that
there is an 18–44 TWh potential from offshore wind (NVE 2020b).
WindEurope (2019) states that by 2050 it is realistic for Norway to
have 30 GW of offshore capacity in the North Sea, half of which should
be exported to Europe. This would however require expensive grid
investments. 6
For now, Norwegian petroleum platforms will be used as testbeds
for Norwegian floating wind turbine technology, but the electricity is
too expensive to be competitive domestically. Equinor primarily looks
for markets with electricity prices high enough for offshore wind to be
competitive. Despite its sizeable potential, offshore wind based on Norwegian renewable energy resources will therefore not contribute to any
green battery soon.
Based on this, it is feasible for Norway to export 30–40 TWh a year
to the Continent, which might be expanded to 70 TWh by modernizing hydropower storage capacity (Røynesdal et al. 2015). 11 TWh
of increased power generation is currently in the pipeline (Aftenposten
2019). This however fades in comparison with the fact that in 2014
petroleum exports accounted for the equivalent of 1774 TWh. Norway
will also need more electricity itself. Electrifying the transport sector
would add 13 TWh to the existing need for electricity; 23 TWh if implementing a fully electric solution involving hydrogen. The electrification of
the Norwegian Continental Shelf adds another 12 TWh, 23 TWh if also
including land-based industry, and a massive 54 TWh for a fully electric
solution with hydrogen. Including buildings and construction into this
mix adds another 3 TWh. The grand total is a consumption that will have
increased by 30–50 TWh plus another 40 TWh if hydrogen is included
to make the energy system completely carbon-free (Statnett 2019).
Increasing Norwegian electricity generation to cope with increased
domestic demand is technically possible. What this however makes
evidently clear is that without significant expansion in terms of
hydropower, wind power, and offshore wind, as well as more subsea cables
(and considerable progress on energy efficiency), Norway is far from able
291
Furthermore, in 2019 the government committed to granting Equinor
NOK2.3 billion (roughly e230 million) to Hywind Tampen to electrify
the oilfields Gullfaks and Snorre by 2022 through an 88 MW floating
offshore wind farm (E24 2019; Regjeringen.no 2019).
While these are interesting developments, they hold few immediate
implications for the green battery idea. Conservative estimates state that
there is an 18–44 TWh potential from offshore wind (NVE 2020b).
WindEurope (2019) states that by 2050 it is realistic for Norway to
have 30 GW of offshore capacity in the North Sea, half of which should
be exported to Europe. This would however require expensive grid
investments. 6
For now, Norwegian petroleum platforms will be used as testbeds
for Norwegian floating wind turbine technology, but the electricity is
too expensive to be competitive domestically. Equinor primarily looks
for markets with electricity prices high enough for offshore wind to be
competitive. Despite its sizeable potential, offshore wind based on Norwegian renewable energy resources will therefore not contribute to any
green battery soon.
Based on this, it is feasible for Norway to export 30–40 TWh a year
to the Continent, which might be expanded to 70 TWh by modernizing hydropower storage capacity (Røynesdal et al. 2015). 11 TWh
of increased power generation is currently in the pipeline (Aftenposten
2019). This however fades in comparison with the fact that in 2014
petroleum exports accounted for the equivalent of 1774 TWh. Norway
will also need more electricity itself. Electrifying the transport sector
would add 13 TWh to the existing need for electricity; 23 TWh if implementing a fully electric solution involving hydrogen. The electrification of
the Norwegian Continental Shelf adds another 12 TWh, 23 TWh if also
including land-based industry, and a massive 54 TWh for a fully electric
solution with hydrogen. Including buildings and construction into this
mix adds another 3 TWh. The grand total is a consumption that will have
increased by 30–50 TWh plus another 40 TWh if hydrogen is included
to make the energy system completely carbon-free (Statnett 2019).
Increasing Norwegian electricity generation to cope with increased
domestic demand is technically possible. What this however makes
evidently clear is that without significant expansion in terms of
hydropower, wind power, and offshore wind, as well as more subsea cables
(and considerable progress on energy efficiency), Norway is far from able