Equinor says it is close to energizing turbines at the world’s first floating wind farm to power offshore oil and gas platforms, Hywind Tampen, and preparing for the start-up of the world’s largest wind farm, Dogger Bank. Both wind farms are in the North Sea.
“The North Sea will continue to play a key role for Europe’s energy transition and security towards 2050,” says Pål Eitrheim, executive vice president for renewables at Equinor. “The region is expanding from oil and gas production into a broad energy province utilizing 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,” Eitrheim continues. “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 currently under construction that will be put into production the coming years. With this high activity level, there is no shortage of supply chain development, particularly as Equinor’s focus is on creating local economic value and jobs for host communities. At Hywind Tampen, Norwegian suppliers have secured about 60% of the contract value.
Once Hywind Tampen is completed, it will both be the first floating wind farm to supply electricity to oil and gas platforms. An important milestone was reached when the first subsea cables were laid and connection made to Gullfaks A recently. The seven first Hywind Tampen turbines will come on stream this year according to plan, and the final four will be installed next spring.
The Dogger Bank project is moving forward and reached an important milestone when the first foundations were installed in July 2022. 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.
“The North Sea is a cornerstone for Equinor’s offshore wind business and will be a key hub for power generation for Europe for many years to come,” states Trine Borum Bojsen, senior vice president for North Sea renewables at Equinor. “With Dogger Bank and Hywind Tampen we are building on more than 15 years of wind farm experience and 50 years of experience operating in the harsh environments of the North Sea. Our first floating offshore wind farm, Hywind Scotland, has for several years reached the highest average capacity factor for any wind farm in the UK, and with floating wind anticipated to play a key role in the offshore wind industry of the future, Equinor is uniquely placed with our learnings.”
Equinor and partners recently launched Trollvind, a 1 GW floating offshore wind farm outside Bergen with a potential start-up of operations in 2027.
