Monday 20 June 2022
Equinor and partners mull 1GW floating offshore wind farm to power oil fields
Equinor and its partners are looking looking into the possibility of developing a 1GW floating offshore wind farm to power oil fields off the coast of Norway.
Located around 65 kilometres west of Bergen in the Troll and Oseberg fields, Trollvind would supply around 4.3TWh of electricity a year to the offshore fields through on onshore connection point.
Power from Trollvind, a partnership between Equinor, Petoro, TotalEnergies, Shell and ConocoPhillips, could make a contribution towards the electrification of oil and gas installations and deliver extra green electricity to the Bergen region.
The partners are evaluating commercial arrangements where the Trollvind development is selling power to the Troll and Oseberg installations and the Kollsnes plant.
Estimates indicate the project, expected to start up in 2027, can deliver electricity for less than NOK1/kWh.
It would also support Norway's ambition to intensify emissions reduction from the Norwegian Continental Shelf from 40% to 50% by 2030.
The Bergen area already serves several of these installations with power and needs more input to its electricity grid.
Anders Opedal, Equinor’s Chief Executive said: “By producing oil and gas with low greenhouse gas emissions, we reinforce the competitiveness of the Norwegian shelf, maintain activity in the industry and safeguard future value creation.
“Trollvind is a concept where renewable energy works to facilitate several objectives; helping cut emissions through electrification, delivering power to an area where shortages have already created challenges for new industrial development, and Norway maintains its position as a leader in the industrialisation of floating offshore wind. A full-scale floating offshore wind farm like Trollvind could boost momentum towards realising the Norwegian authorities’ ambition to position Norway as an offshore wind nation, building on expertise from the oil and gas industry.”
The project partners are initiating feasibility studies, with the aim of making an investment decision in 2023.
Phil Cunningham, TotalEnergies Managing Director and Country Chair added: “We are excited about the possibilities to supply our energy production offshore with new renewable power. This project confirms Norway’s leadership in green energy production and our experience that working together is a value enabler."
