EFTA Surveillance Authority approves aid for an offshore wind farm at Sørlige Nordsjø II
On 19 December 2023 the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has approved aid for an offshore wind farm in Phase I at Sørlige Nordsjø II on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The measure supports renewable energy production, innovation, and technological development, aligning with Norway’s emissions-reduction goals. The aid, notified in December 2023, pertains to the initial phase of Sørlige Nordsjø II. It involves a two-way contract for difference (as further described here: The MPE has published the final CfD for SN II – Offshore Wind Insight, with the state compensating the beneficiary based on market price differentials. The aid, totaling NOK 23 billion, will be granted through a competitive process, favoring the lowest strike price bid per kWh. The Norwegian Ministry of Energy will administer the aid, approved under the European Commission’s Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework following dialogue between ESA and Norwegian authorities.
ESA considers that the measure constitutes State aid within the meaning of Article 61(1) of the EEA Agreement. ESA states that it has no doubts that the aid is compatible with the functioning of the EEA Agreement pursuant to its Article 61(3)(c) and has no objections to the implementation of the measure.