Our comments on the proposed division of the two areas are summarized in the following points

• We believe that the proposed MW/km2 density of the proposed call areas on Utsira Nord is too high, and will result in high increased development expenditure, and ultimately higher energy costs. Key factors that influence the location of foundation anchoring points are water depth, soil conditions, and the scale of the turbines.
• Final project layout will be derived from the analysis of site constraints and optimisation; at first based on a targeted lease density, then further adjusted to account for external soil and turbine configuration constraints. In view of this, we believe that an appropriate density would be around 5MW/km2, particularly in the case of floating, acknowledging that there are likely to be reductions in the available area during detailed engineering phase and licensing process.
• We believe Utsira Nord should be divided into areas with a minimum capacity per call area of 500 or 600MW. This will ensure a volume that delivers sufficient economies of scale, minimised energy costs, and Levelised Cost of Energy (LCoE) that falls within an acceptable range.
• Based on our current knowledge of the SNII area we would support, as a priority, the announcement of call areas in the "East" and "North-west" of this announcement area.
• Finally, noting that processes for establishing and strengthening onshore and offshore grid infrastructure need to be developed, as a priority, we would encourage the Ministry to provide clear guidance, as soon as possible, on how the network will be developed and what the respective roles and responsibilities of each the organisations involved, will be.

Further remarks are given in the document (Norwegian).
Høringsuttalelse – Inndeling av områder UN og SNII (1)

Thor Otto Lohne
Styreleder