SAE Vind receives licence for Hitra 2 wind farm

”We are very pleased with the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Administration’s (NVE) decision to grant a licence to Hitra 2, and we look forward to maturing the project towards realisation,” says managing director of SAE Vind Anders Gaudestad.

SAE Vind is owned by Statkraft (62%) and Agder Energi (38%). The company holds three wind power licences already, of which two are in Sør-Trøndelag County and one in Rogaland County. These licences are now undergoing final processing in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and are therefore not legally in force yet. In addition, SAE has applied for a licence for another ten wind farms.

Hitra 2 will be an expansion of Hitra wind farm at Eldsfjellet on Hitra. The existing wind farm was built by Statkraft and came online in October 2004. The farm has 24 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 55 MW. SAE Vind has been granted a licence to develop another 75 MW. The total production at Hitra 1 and 2 can reach about 300 GWh as a result, equalling the consumption of about 15 000 households.

”Hitra 2 will contribute to meeting the government’s obligations in relation to the EU’s renewables directive. The wind farm may also have a positive economic effect for Hitra municipality. Hitra 2 can help strengthen the power balance and reliability of supply in the region,” writes director of NVE Per Sanderud in a news item on NVE’s website.

SAE Wind:

• Norway’s leading company in land-based wind power.
• Statkraft’s and Agder Energi’s joint venture in land-based wind power in Norway.
• Will develop, build, operate and maintain wind farms all over Norway.
• Aims to realise 1500 MW of wind power by 2020.