Last year, the Norwegian energy utility sent enough electricity crackling through the nation’s transmission lines to meet nearly half the power demand of its five million inhabitants.

But since 2009, the company has quietly been expanding into offshore wind, primarily in the UK, as part of a far-reaching NKr60bn ($8bn) global clean-energy investment plan.

After wetting its head on the 317MW Sheringham Shoal wind farm with compatriot Statoil, Statkraft has shifted up a gear.