Located 140 km off the coast of the North Sea, this wind farm project cost a lot of money: 642 million euros. But it will be an opportunity to test an emerging technology considered promising for the energy transition in Norway, the largest producer of hydrocarbons in the European Union.
Wind turbines to power oil rigs: the picture is a bit disconcerting. But these 11 floating turbines, each with a capacity of 8.6 megawatts, will produce 35% of the electricity needed by the 5 neighboring oil platforms, which currently run on gas and diesel.
These floating turbines, weighted down by anchors instead of fixed to the seabed, are located near the docks paving the way for wind power in deep water, away from shorelines and disgruntled local residents, where the wind is more stable.
Norway is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels.
This pilot wind farm will reduce Norway’s annual CO2 emissions by 200,000 tonnes and nitrogen oxide emissions, which cause ocean acidification, by 1,000 tonnes. In total, this represents 0.4% of the country’s emissions – a drop in the ocean!
But this is only the beginning, promises Norway. It has become Europe’s main gas supplier since the war in Ukraine and intends to remain so. This summer (in the northern hemisphere), the government gave the green light to 19 new hydrocarbon exploitation projects. To meet its environmental target of halving its carbon emissions by 2030, Norway must absolutely electrify its fossil fuel industry.
An ambitious wind program
This first floating wind farm, a test bed for the development of future equipment that could be equipped with larger blades that are easier to install, will have cost the equivalent of 642 million euros, almost 40% subsidized by the Norwegian state.
The Prime Minister, Shop Jonas Gahr said at the opening:Yes it’s expensive but someone has to lead the way “. As a reminder, the Norwegian state budget is boosted by the record revenues of the public oil company Equinor, which produces 70% of Norwegian hydrocarbons and forecasts profits of more than 130% in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Norway aims to build 1,500 offshore wind turbines by 2040 . The first commercial tenders will be launched this fall, including three new floating wind farm projects.
Source: Latercera
I am Robert Harris and I specialize in news media. My experience has been focused on sports journalism, particularly within the Rugby sector. I have written for various news websites in the past and currently work as an author for Athletistic, covering all things related to Rugby news.
