Equinor and its partners Petoro, TotalEnergies, Shell and ConocoPhillips have started a study to look at the possibility of building a floating offshore wind farm in the Troll oil and gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
The wind farm, Trollvind, will have an installed capacity of about 1GW and will supply approximately 4.3 TWh of electricity to the offshore fields Troll and Oseberg through an onshore connection point.
The project will aid in the electrification of oil and gas installations and provide additional power to the Bergen region. Furthermore, it is aligned with the Norwegian parliament’s goal of reducing emissions on the Norwegian continental shelf from 40 to 50% by 2030.
Also of interest
Energy Transitions Podcast: The North Sea – Axis of decarbonisation
Green is the new black: Unlocking the potential of floating offshore wind
Equinor’s chief executive, Anders Opedal, commented in a statement: “…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,” added Opedal.
According to Equinor, transferring offshore wind power to shore allows for the building of a larger wind farm than if it was directly connected to oil and gas installations offshore. A larger size will lead to cost reductions and more efficient power utilisation.
The partners are currently evaluating commercial arrangements with Troll and Oseberg installations and the Kollsnes plant, with current estimates indicating power can be delivered for less than NOK 1/kWh.
Final investment decisions are expected during 2023, with start up planned for 2027.
