The first of eleven turbines has now arrived at Equinor’s Hywind Tampen project off Norway, as installation begins in earnest.
The 88-megawatt (MW), 11-turbine scheme is currently billed as the world’s largest floating wind power project, and will provide electricity for the Snorre and Gullfaks oil and gas fields.
The first unit sailed away from the Wergeland base in Gulen on Norway’s west coast last Thursday, towed by the Skandi Iceman AHTS.
In a post on LinkedIn, Equinor said the turbine – nicknamed Karoline after one of the team’s graduate employees – had arrived on Monday.
Norway’s offshore safety regulatory, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA), has also now granted the project permission to begin operating.
in addition to the scheme itself, the consent covers the necessary modifications to facilities at the Gullfaks and Snorre fields.
Equinor now plans to tow all the assembled wind turbines during a summer campaign, with a view to completing offshore work by the end of the year.
According to the state-owned energy major, average output from the finished scheme should be enough to meet around 35% of the annual electricity demand of the Snorre A and B, and Gullfaks A, B and C platforms, though in periods of higher wind speed it said this is likely to be significantly higher.
Indeed, Equinor’s first Hywind project, off Scotland, has continued to set industry records since its completion in 2017.
Recommended for you
