Norway/Germany, 12 December 2022 – The Wind Energy and green Hydrogen Cluster WAB e.V. signed a cooperation agreement with Team Norway, represented by Norwegian Energy Partners. Both parties agreed to collaborate with a focus on offshore wind development and green hydrogen and respective supply chains.
The cooperation will focus on the 20th WINDFORCE in June 2023 in Bremerhaven – the annual international class reunion of the offshore wind industry, where Norway will be next year’s partner country, and on reciprocal delegation trips and joint workshops. The focus of all activities is to encourage mutual contact and cooperation between WAB members and Norwegian companies as well as branches of Norwegian companies in Germany.
Norway would like to see 30 gigawatts capacity of Offshore Wind allocated by 2040. Germany plans to have 30 gigawatts installed in the North and Baltic Seas by 2030. It is planned to increase the visibility of the joint opportunities arising from the developments in the Norwegian and German markets as well as the offers of WAB e.V. and Team Norway for their partners and members.
With the cooperation agreement signed today, the partners can start preparing the first joint online workshop in the 2nd half of February. We will shed light on the opportunities that arise for both countries with the expansion plans for offshore wind energy and for the production of green hydrogen at sea.
“We are happy to extend our cooperation with the WAB e.V. and to present Norway as partner during the WINDFORCE 2023. In the last months the energy partnership between Germany and Norway has grown. However especially in the area of future technologies, as offshore wind and H2, there is much more room for cooperation between the two countries”, said Klaus Udesen, Director Wind Norwegian Energy Partners and representative of Team Norway. The Norwegian Industry has great potential to support the energy transition: there are many smart and reliable technologies, which have been tested under harsh conditions over the last decades. Furthermore, Norway’s existing and future port infrastructure and maritime industry offers solutions for the challenges of the Offshore Industry.
“We are very happy about this cooperation and each other’ s visit too. The 20th WINDFORCE is additionally a great opportunity for the exchange and networking of the companies and institutes for the bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind energy as well as the production and use of green hydrogen”, said Heike Winkler, Managing Director WAB e.V.
The cooperation partners will already work together in the programming of the upcoming WINDFORCE. There will be a Norwegian session and the joint program will be presented in a joint press conference in the first quarter of 2023. Norwegian speakers will provide the latest information on the Norway market outlook and innovations.
Joint matchmaking and the exchange of relevant information, learning curves and experiences are among the planned activities. The cooperation was initiated as a result of a regular exchange and a joint workshop between Norwegian Energy Partners and WAB e.V.
Team Norway will seek to provide a political representative for the opening session of the 20th WINDFORCE. The cooperation is initially planned for one year but can be extended if there is joint interest.
