The Norwegian wind power developer, Norsk Vind Energi, has reportedly unveiled plans to construct a 1.5-GW wind farm in Norway, to be called the Hordavind Project, with zero subsidies.
A recent study by Statnett, a Norwegian network partner, has estimated southern Norway to have a large portion of new wind power without subsidies, following the project’s completion, and is expecting the Nordic power price in 2025 to be around $46/MWh.
Reportedly, the latest wind project, which is being cited as the largest onshore wind farm in Europe, would be commissioned at 1.5GW and is estimated to produce an annual power output of over 5TWh (Terawatt hours). The proposal for the colossal wind farm has recently been submitted by the developer to the NVE (Norwegian Water Resources & Energy Directorate) and the project is currently in talks to be built in Hordaland, Southern Norway, with the construction to begin in 2023.
Per Ove Skorpen, General Manager, Norsk Vind Energi, was quoted saying that the country has observed a positive cost development of wind power in the recent years and further confirmed that the Hordavind project will be developed with zero subsidies. He added that the company envisions the project to be profitable with less than 30 øre/kWh power price, which is either $0.035/kWh or $35/MWh.
As per a report by Windpower Monthly, the 1.5GW wind project is expected to be split into four areas and the individual projects will have production capacities ranging from about 80MW to 950MW. The turbine configuration which will be used will help estimate the number of turbines required, while Skorpen said there would be around 250 turbines, according to an average power rating of 6MW. NVE, for the record, has so far developed four wind farms in Norway for a combined capacity of approximately 348MW.
The Hordavind project, at 1.5GW wind output, is anticipated to outshine the Fosen onshore project situated in Central Norway, which is the current largest in Europe.