BW Offshore's Fram Wind confirms formal NOK 1.94 billion Enova grant

BW Offshore said the confirmation covers two 18.5 MW turbines with 37 MW combined on BW Ideol's patented Damping Pool foundation. The company called them the largest such machines in the world.

Fram Wind Solutions is owned 50% by BW Offshore, 35% by Grieg Kapital and 15% by Fram Green Technology.

Enova announced the award on 30 October as part of a NOK 3.94 billion package. Fortius Offshore Wind received NOK 2 billion and Fram NOK 1.94 billion. The four turbines across both projects are meant to produce 300 million kilowatt-hours a year, which Enova says matches around 15,000 households or roughly 20 average onshore wind turbines.

Conditions before construction

Enova, a state enterprise owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, pays out only if projects are implemented. For Fram, payment depends on the project reaching a final investment decision, securing financing and signing key supplier agreements within 24 months of the award. The project has no construction timetable yet.

Both Enova-backed projects plan to install two turbines each at METCentre's floating offshore wind demonstration site off Karmøy in Rogaland. Enova describes the work as testing floating foundations for large turbines, mooring systems and methods for constructing and operating the installations. It lists those among the areas where costs must fall.

Why turbine size matters

BW Offshore's case rests on scale. It says the project applies the Damping Pool foundation to the largest turbine class the market is moving towards, aiming to lower costs and confirm commercial viability.

The foundation is already in the water elsewhere. The 30 MW EolMed farm in France has generated electricity since May 2026 with three 10 MW turbines on the same design, according to BW Offshore. What is new is the turbine class bolted to it, not the foundation.

Marco Beenen, CEO of BW Offshore, called the grant a validation of the design. "The Enova grant is a strong endorsement of our floating wind solution," he said. He added that it "will enable us to deploy BW Ideol's technology on the next generation of turbines and move floating offshore wind to commercial scale". He credited cooperation with the Grieg Group and Fram Marine.

The cost test behind the award

Enova selected the projects through a competitive process. It scored bids on energy generated per krone of funding, the potential for wider adoption of the technology, carbon footprint, biodiversity impact and prospects for achieving low costs later.

On long-run cost, Enova cites a report it wrote for the Ministry of Energy this year. Market participants quoted in it estimate that a successful global rollout could bring generation costs down to as little as NOK 1 per kilowatt-hour. That is an estimate, not a measured price.

What it means

Oskar Gärdeman, head of offshore wind at Enova, said Norway has particularly good prerequisites for the sector, citing a strong maritime industry and vast ocean areas with strong winds.

Evy Glørstad, CEO of Enova, said that if the projects make offshore wind profitable enough, it "will be a major step toward faster, large-scale deployment of renewable power".