A consortium of 11 parties from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, including seaports, will get additional funding of up to NOK3.0m (ca. €300k) to prepare Nordic ports for the expanding offshore wind industry.
Specifically, the New Offshore Wind Ports in the Nordics initiative will develop an offshore wind alliance to act as an innovation advisory board for existing ports and industry players in the value chain.
In addition, a new multi-purpose site concept for utilising ports infrastructure and establishing an optimal supply chain model for supporting future offshore wind ports and sites will be created.
The project parties also hope to inspire other regions to learn best practices from leading Nordic offshore wind ports and their supply chains.
"As wind turbines are growing in weight and size, great demands are placed on new and existing offshore wind ports alike. In this project, eight Nordic ports and super sites will enter an innovative collaboration with offshore wind players, with a view towards upgrading, redesigning, and adapting existing facilities and decarbonising ports' infrastructure," Nordic Innovation wrote in a press release.
Glenda Napier, CEO, Energy Cluster Denmark, added, "Ports are key players in the offshore wind supply chain because those are the focal point of enabling commissioning and installation as well as operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms. We need to get Nordic ports ready for the expanding offshore wind industry, and we need more collaboration and innovation across the Nordic countries. This project is an important step in that direction."
The winning consortium consists of Energy Cluster Denmark, the Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, OffshoreVäst, MARLOG, Eigersund Næring og Havn, the Wergeland Group, Westcon Helgeland, the NorSea Group, and the ports of Rønne, Karmsund and Trelleborg.
The Sea Meets Land Mobility Mission was launched as part of Nordic Innovation's Nordic Smart Mobility and Connectivity programme. In March 2020, five projects were shortlisted for the main prize.