ARENDAL – August 16th – The North Sea should play a central role in the green transition, according to a new report to which FME NorthWind contributed. The document will be presented today at Arendalsuka, an important stage for societal debate in Norway.
The report was prepared by SINTEF and NTNU and highlights the potential of the North Sea for the decarbonisation of the economy. It underlines the importance of large-scale carbon capture and storage to reach emission reduction targets, and advocates a stronger focus on these technologies. The report also outlines how the North Sea can be home to offshore wind, zero-carbon fuels production and distribution and an international network of subsea cables – which can together pave the way for a zero-carbon economy in Norway and Europe.
– Renewable energy from offshore wind in the North Sea is a key element of Europe’s decarbonisation strategy, says the leader of the NorthWind research centre, John Olav Tande.
Report authors explain that Norway has a knowledge lead which can be preserved through additional research and development. They also point out that any project in the North Sea should be carried out in an environmentally sustainable way.
Immediately following the presentation at Arendalsuka, a debate will focus on three points:
- Ensuring sustainable development of the North Sea area
- Facilitating CO2 storage equivalent to hundreds of Longship projects by 2050
- Maintaining the knowledge lead
The report was made by four research centres led by SINTEF and NTNU: NorthWind (SINTEF – wind energy technology), NCCS (SINTEF – carbon capture and storage), LowEmission (SINTEF – emissions reduction in the oil and gas industry) and NTRANS (NTNU – energy transition strategies).
The report can be downloaded here (report in Norwegian): https://www.sintef.no/globalassets/sintef-energi/arendalsuka/arendal_2021_sintef_lr.pdf
