Norway sets ambitious renewables target

The Norwegian government set a target of generating more than 60 percent of its electricity through renewable resources by 2020, an official said. Norway set a renewable energy target for 2020 of 67.5 percent of its domestic production. The Norwegian Energy and Petroleum Ministry said that means the country needs to increase its renewable energy portfolio around 9 percent per year. "This is a far higher proportion than in any European Union country," said Energy Minister Ola Borten Moe in a statement to the Norwegian Wind Energy Association. Norway and Sweden last month established a common market for green energy certificates. Sweden has increased its renewable energy production 10 percent per year since 2003. Moe said that Oslo had established a policy of ensuring the best wind energy projects presented to the government are given top priority. "We will also in the years to come continue to work to improve and speed up the licensing processes even further," he said. He said the new mechanism with Sweden would be in force through 2035. "The scheme is an important tool to unlock the large potential for renewable electricity production, be it hydropower, wind power or bioenergy," he added.