Unlocking Greek Offshore Wind Potential through Greek-Norwegian Cooperation

While offshore wind initiatives have gained momentum across Europe, Greece’s coastline remains unexplored territory in this domain. The Greek government has set an ambitious goal to increase the country’s renewable energy capacity, paving the way for investments and growth in the Greek offshore wind market. Meanwhile, the lack of a complete domestic supply chain remains a challenge to the sustainable development of this sector. 

Aiming toward asolution, the Hellenic Wind Association (ELETAEN) has joined forces with Norwegian partner Marin Energi Testsenter AS. ELETAEN is the Greek national representative of the European wind energy association WindEurope, and its members are companies and organizations from the entire wind energy supply chain. Project partner Marin Energi Testsenter AS is the host organization for the METCentre, a test center for new marine renewable energy technologies and Norwegian Offshore Wind (NOW), Norway’s largest offshore wind industry cluster,representing370 member companies from different part of the offshore wind supply chain.

© Norwegian Offshore Wind

The objective of the project partnership is to identify the missing components necessary for the establishing of an effective offshore wind supply chain in Greece. Building on each other’s experience and expertise, the project partners intend to bridge the gap between the Greek offshore wind sector and its Norwegian counterpart. By understanding the strengths and capabilities of both nations, the project seeks to create a synergy that will drive the growth of the offshore wind sector in Greece, through the facilitation of increased cooperation between the two countries.

The project includes a detailed examination of the offshore wind supply chain roadmap. The project partners will conduct interviews with specialized companies in the wind and energy sectors, both in Greece and Norway. These discussions will facilitate sharing of knowledge, exploration of business opportunities and establish the market readiness of companies aspiring to participate in the offshore wind sector. Their analysis will outline the associated benefits and provide a clear understanding of the industry’s challenges. Furthermore, the project will create a detailed overview highlighting the specific roles of Greek and Norwegian businesses within the offshore wind supply chain. By evaluating the roles of Greek and Norwegian businesses within the supply chain, this mapping will pinpoint areas of strategic partnership and enable stakeholders to effectively identify potential collaboration points.

As a part of the project, ELETAEN welcomed a business mission of Norwegian companies to Athens on November 23rdand 24th 2023.The visit included a workshop with the topic “the challenges and prospects for the development of the domestic supply chain for Offshore Wind”, in addition to closed working session with technical discussions and B2B meetings between Greek and Norwegian companies. The event marked the first occasion where companies from the entire offshore wind supply chain for OW have come together to discuss future opportunities, and exchange experiences and know-how. Efi Karra from the Hellenic Wind Energy Association described the event as a great success, with enormous participation and significant complementariness between the Greek and Norwegian supply chain. In a comment, Tor Arne Johnsen from the Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster highlights the value of the EEAGrants support through the “Business Innovation Greece”-programme,pointing towards the increased network and opportunities for Norwegian companies in the Greek offshore wind market.

The collaboration between the Hellenic Wind Association (ELETAEN) and Marin EnergiTestsenter AS, supported by the EEA Grants through the “Business Innovation Greece” program, signifies an important stride towards unlocking the potential for offshore wind projects in Greece. By strategically identifying and addressing the missing components in the Greek offshore wind supply chain, this initiative not only bridges the gap between Greek and Norwegian capabilities but also cultivates a platform for increased collaboration. As witnessed during the recent business mission and workshop, the project facilitates exchange of knowledge and bilateral opportunities, providing a foundation for growth in the Greek renewable energy sector.