Norway awarded 3.94 billion kroner (about $428 million) in conditional support on October 30 to two floating offshore wind demonstration projects, aiming to cut the cost of placing large turbines in deep water. State-backed agency Enova selected Fortius Offshore Wind and Fram Wind Solutions to test competing designs off Karmøy over the next five years. The funding is an award—not evidence that the new turbines have already been built.

Each developer plans to install two 18.5 MW turbines at the METCentre test site in Rogaland. Together, the four machines represent 74 MW of planned generating capacity and an estimated 300 million kilowatt-hours annually once operational, comparable to the yearly electricity use of approximately 15,000 households, according to Enova.

Two different projects, one deep-water technology challenge

Fortius Offshore Wind is allocated NOK 2 billion, while Fram Wind Solutions receives NOK 1.94 billion. The money is payable only if the projects proceed. Their teams will test large floating foundations, anchoring and mooring arrangements, installation methods and operation at sea. Those elements can dominate costs in water too deep for conventional fixed-bottom turbines.

Equinor documents construction of the earlier Hywind Tampen floating wind farm in 2022. Archival technical footage; these are not the newly funded Fortius or Fram Wind turbines.

Unlike a fixed tower anchored directly to the seabed, a floating wind turbine sits on a buoyant structure held in position by mooring lines and anchors. The challenge is to keep the generator, cables and blades performing through changing sea states without allowing maintenance or installation costs to overwhelm electricity sales.

Why Norway is paying to demonstrate four turbines

The awards support engineering validation rather than a large commercial wind farm. Enova selected the projects based on expected energy per kroner of support, wider technological potential, construction footprint, biodiversity effects and prospects for lower future power costs. Critics of floating wind question whether subsidies of this scale can yield commercially competitive electricity; supporters say early prototypes are needed to prove cheaper mass-production methods.

Equinor explains Norway’s existing Hywind Tampen floating wind facilities in a 2023 technical overview. Historical context for floating foundations and moorings.

The technical hurdles also explain why this is a separate story from grid-connected photovoltaic generation, including BitcoinVersus.Tech’s Tianwan offshore solar project. Both harvest renewable energy at sea, but floating turbines face distinct foundation, anchoring and cable loads, while tidal-flat solar requires marine corrosion protection and careful work around changing tides.

The next milestones are investment decisions, project execution and actual installation at METCentre. Until four turbines are built and commissioned, the 74 MW capacity and 0.3 TWh yearly production remain planned outcomes, not electricity already added to Norway’s grid.

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