Enova has pledged NOK2.3 billion (US$259 million) in support to 88 MW Hywind Tampen floating offshore wind project in the North Sea. The amount of funding for Equinor's project, which will help to supply the Gullfaks and Snorre oil fields with renewable energy.
The offshore wind farm that Equinor and the other license operators in the fields Gullfaks and Snorre want to establish will consist of a total of 11 floating wind turbines each of 8 MW. The turbines will annually produce 384 GWh of renewable power, which will replace about one-third of the gas the platforms are using today. The project will thus reduce CO2 emissions by approx. 200,000 tonnes each year the platforms are in operation. However, Enova emphasizes that these emissions cuts are not the primary reason why they support this project.
Liquid ocean winds have a clear advantage over bottom solid in that the technology can be used in deep waters. Nevertheless, there is only one floating offshore wind farm in the world today, namely Equinor's own Hywind Scotland, which consists of five wind turbines of 6 MW each. While bottom-solid ocean winds have undergone rapid development and are becoming competitive, there is still a good distance left for floating ocean winds.
Even though Enova now makes a commitment of NNOK 2.3 billion (US$259 million)for the project, there are still some gate passes before the project is realized. Equinor and its partners must make a final investment decision and the EFTA Surveillance Authority ESA must approve the commitment. Since the project is linked to oil production, the project also depends on a so-called PDO (plan for development and operation) being approved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. If everything goes according to plan, the wind farm will be operational by 2022.
