The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Industry has approved plans for development and operation of the Hywind Tampen floating windfarm, which will enable the Snorre and Gullfaks platforms to be the first oil and gas platforms to receive power from a floating windfarm
Equinor and the Snorre and Gullfaks partners submitted updated plans for development and operation of Hywind Tampen to the Norwegian authorities in October 2019 after taking a final investment decision to develop Hywind Tampen in October 2019. The EFTA Surveillance Authority in Brussels, which monitors compliance with European Economic Area free trade rules, approved Equinor’s plan to build the Hywind Tampen floating offshore windfarm in March 2020.
Equinor executive vice president for development and production Norway Arne Sigve Nylund said, “Hywind Tampen is a pioneering project and a central contribution to reducing emissions from Gullfaks and Snorre.”
By reducing the use of gas turbines on the fields and replacing the electricity they would have produced with power from floating wind the project will help to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 200,000 tonnes per year.
According to a study by Multiconsult, the Hywind Tampen project could create spinoff effects during the project’s life of 1,550 to 3,000 man-years for Norwegian trade and industry. Most of the spinoff effects will occur in the project’s development phase.
The windfarm will consist of 11 wind turbines based on the Hywind windfarm concept developed by Equinor.
The 8-MW turbines will have a total capacity of 88 MW and meet about 35% of the annual power demand of the five platforms, Snorre A and B and Gullfaks A, B and C.
The windfarm will be built 140 km from shore, between the Snorre and Gullfaks platforms, in a water depth of 260-300 m.
Operated from Equinor’s offices in Bergen, Hywind Tampen is scheduled for start-up at the end of 2022.
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