Statoil has committed to building the Nkr2bn (€210m) Hywind 2 floating offshore wind demo in Scotland.
The Norwegian energy company made the final investment decision this week on the 30MW project in the Buchan Deep off Peterhead.
Costs of the floating spar technology are expected to come down by up to 70% from the 2.3MW Hywind 1 demo installed off Norway in 2009 (pictured).
Siemens will supply 6MW hardware in waters up to 120 metres deep and production is expected to kick off in late 2017.
Statoil new energy solutions vice president Irene Rummelhoff said: “Our objective with the Hywind pilot park is to demonstrate the feasibility of future commercial, utility-scale floating wind farms.
Scotland deputy first minister John Swinney said: “The momentum is building around the potential for floating offshore wind technology to unlock deeper water sites.
“The ability to leverage existing infrastructure and supply chain capabilities from the offshore oil and gas industry create the ideal conditions to position Scotland as a world leader in floating wind technology.”
Image: Statoil
Statoil commits to €210m Hywind 2
Floating offshore demo to go live in 2017 featuring Siemens turbines
By EBS