Equinor is close to generating first power from the world’s first floating wind farm to power offshore oil and gas platforms, Hywind Tampen.
An important milestone was reached when the first subsea cables were laid and connection made to Gullfaks A recently.
The project’s initial seven turbines will come on stream this year according to plan and the final four will be installed next spring.
The Norwegian developer is also preparing for the start-up of Dogger Bank off the UK.
First power is expected in the second half of 2023, with commercial operations beginning in 2024 for Dogger Bank A, 2025 for Dogger Bank B and 2026 for Dogger Bank C respectively.
Equinor provided updates on both projects, both located in the North Sea, at the ONS conference in Stavanger.
Pål Eitrheim, executive vice president for renewables at Equinor, said: “The North Sea will continue to play a key role for Europe’s energy transition and security towards 2050.
“The region is expanding from oil and gas production into a broad energy province utilising world-class offshore wind resources.
“The North Sea is uniquely positioned to help meet European objectives of reliable, affordable and sustainable energy supplies.
“Renewable mega-projects like Dogger Bank and Hywind Tampen are nearing start-up, enabling Equinor to boost renewable energy to the European market.
“New projects such as Trollvind and Utsira Nord have the potential to deepen Norway’s lead in making floating offshore wind competitive and affordable.”
Equinor’s offshore wind portfolio is progressing with several projects under construction that will be put into production the coming years.
Once Hywind Tampen is completed, it will both be the first floating wind farm to supply electricity to oil and gas platforms, and also the world’s largest floating wind farm.
Equinor and partners recently launched Trollvind, a 1GW floating offshore wind farm outside Bergen with a potential start-up of operations in 2027.
Power from Trollvind can make a solid contribution towards electrification of oil and gas installations, deliver extra power to the Bergen-region and accelerate offshore wind development in Norway, Equinor said.
By transferring offshore wind power to shore, as in the Trollvind concept, will enable the possibility of building a larger wind farm than one directly connected to oil and gas installations offshore.
Bringing the power to shore also promotes more efficient power utilisation through better interaction with regulated hydropower and onshore industry.
Trollvind is located in a geographical area that is well known by the industry and the concept is now being further matured aiming at an investment decision during 2023.