Statkraft granted licence for Selbjörn Wind Farm 

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) today granted Statkraft a licence for the construction of Selbjørn Wind Farm in Austevoll, Norway. This is the first licence Statkraft has been granted in Hordaland county. The wind farm will have an annual production capacity of up to 110 GWh, enough to supply around 5,500 Norwegian households with clean energy.

Selbjørn Wind Farm will provide new power production in an area where there is currently a supply deficit and thus strengthen the security of supply in the region. The construction of Selbjørn Wind Farm will contribute towards achieving the Norwegian government’s long-term target of generating 30 TWh of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency.

The NVE today also rejected Statkraft’s licence application for the Langevåg wind farm in Bømlo, and issued licences for a further four projects in Sunnhordland.

Environment-friendly project

Selbjørn Wind Farm will be constructed on Selbjørn in the Austevoll county authority in Hordaland, where favourable wind conditions exist. Significant importance was attached to environmental considerations in planning and choosing a location for the wind farm.

The wind farm will have an installed capacity of up to 40 MW and be able to produce 110 GWh of clean and renewable electricity. The production will cover the normal annual consumption of around 5,500 households. The number of wind turbines will depend on the optimal type and size of wind turbines to be employed at the time of construction.

It is currently unclear when construction of the Selbjørn Wind Farm will be able to start. Specific market conditions and financial framework conditions that guarantee sufficient profitability for the project must be met before construction can begin. Statkraft’s board of directors will only be able to make an investment decision once a legally effective licence has been issued.

Several wind farms

Statkraft already has three major wind farms in operation on Smøla, Hitra and in Kjøllefjord. These produce an average of around 750 GWh a year. This corresponds to the electricity consumption of around 37,500 Norwegian households. Statkraft is thus well on the way to achieving its target of developing wind power projects with a cumulative production capacity of 2 TWh a year before 2010. This will cover the electricity requirements of around 100,000 households. Investments in the three wind farms are expected to total around NOK 2.1 billion.

Wind power is a renewable energy form, and power production generates no polluting emissions either to the ground, air or water.

Statkraft is Europe’s second largest renewable energy company. We produce hydropower and wind power, we build gas-fired power plants and we focus on innovation with a clear ambition to deliver the energy solutions of the future. We are a considerable actor on Europe’s power exchanges, with special expertise within physical and financial power trading. In Norway we own shares in companies that supply electricity to more than 600,000 customers. We had gross revenues of around NOK 16 billion and total assets of around NOK 96 billion in 2006. More than 2,000 employees in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Bulgaria and Serbia create value every day. Together we strive to be a European leader in environment-friendly energy.

For further information please contact:
VP Communications Torbjørn Steen, tel: +47 24 06 72 28 / +47 911 66 888
SVP Development Nils Dårflot, tel: +47 24 06 71 88 / +47 481 10 505

newsdesk.se

19 February 2007