About us

About the National Competence Center for Offshore Wind

The Norwegian Competence Centre for Offshore Wind is an overarching, independent and interdisciplinary body that will contribute to strengthening the national commitment to offshore wind in Norway. The competence center aims to drive the development of an internationally competitive offshore wind industry by closing knowledge gaps, building valuable networks and promoting innovation.

The competence center takes social responsibility by focusing on promoting a green and innovation-driven development of the offshore wind industry. The competence center is located in Kristiansand, and will be a valuable resource for all stakeholders in the offshore wind industry in Norway.

How the competence center will serve its purpose

The competence center has a clear strategy that is the basis for everything the center must be involved in and take the initiative for.

Knowledge and competence

The competence center has a core task - to be a source of reliable information and a bridge between players in the offshore wind industry, the general public and national authorities. This interdisciplinary knowledge overview will provide the basis for faster development of renewable energy. At the same time, the center has an obligation to carry out fact-based communication in order to contribute to a balanced public debate about offshore wind.

Environmental focus and innovation

A sustainable offshore wind industry requires careful assessment of environmental impact and continuous innovation. The competence center sets this as a priority and actively searches for innovative solutions for gentle and efficient resource utilization, reuse and recycling within offshore wind. This not only helps to preserve nature, but also to make the offshore wind industry more viable in the long term.

Interest and development

The offshore wind industry has many stakeholders, from business players to local communities and environmental organisations. The competence center must have the competence and capacity to guide development so that the needs of everyone are assessed and balanced in the best possible way. This ensures that the offshore wind industry is developed with regard to social, economic and environmental considerations, as well as fair development and management of the industry for people and society.

International cooperation

In order to compete internationally, one must learn from the best. The National Competence Center for Offshore Wind looks at international environments as inspiration and builds on experiences, expertise and research from abroad. This international cooperation is also a prerequisite for being able to fulfill the other strategic areas and for accelerating the development of renewable energy.

About Us

The Norwegian Competence Centre for Offshore Wind is funded through public and private sources.

In 2026, the centre receives funding through the national budget. In addition, the centre has received funding from the Sørfondet via Sparebanken Norge, as well as funding from Å Energi.

The board

Frank Emil MoenChairman of the board

Frank Emil Moen is the Director of Energy Innovation in Egersund. He holds various board positions, such as at UiS, Norwegian Offshore Wind, and Næringsforeningen i Stavanger.

Åslaug HagaBoard member

Åslaug Haga is the CEO of Fornybar Norge. She has a background in international organizations, the Norwegian foreign service, and Norwegian politics.

Image of board member Marianne Elisabeth Johnsen

Marianne Elisabeth JohnsenBoard member

Marianne Elisabeth Johnsen works as a professional chairperson, director, investor, and lawyer. Over the last 20 years, she has gained extensive board experience, having held positions as both a board member and chairperson in publicly listed and non-listed companies in Norway and internationally. Currently, she is the chairperson at the University of Tromsø, chairperson of the Norwegian Seafood Council AS, and a board member of Elkem ASA, in addition to several other roles in both the private and public sectors.

Knut MjålandBoard member

Knut Mjåland is the CEO of GCE NODE. He has more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry as a top executive in Aker-owned Maritime Hydraulics/Aker MH (now HMH). For the past nine years, he has worked in the process industry with advanced/high-tech polymers, spending the last five years as the CEO of Michelin-owned Mandals AS.

Image of board member Jan Oddvar Skisland

Jan Oddvar SkislandBoard member

Jan Oddvar Skisland was the mayor of Kristiansand from 2003-2007 and 2019-2023. He led the network of mayors of large cities in the last period and is particularly engaged in the development of renewable energy production, with a special focus on offshore wind. He currently works as a leadership developer at the University of Agder.