The Equinor floating wind farm in Norway is a facility described as “the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm” that was officially opened by Crown Prince Haakon on Wednesday, marking the culmination of a major renewable energy project years in the making. The Equinor wind project in Norway is located around 140 kilometers (86.9 miles) off the coast in depths ranging from 260 to 300 meters, Hywind Tampen uses 11 turbines. The wind farm produced its first power in Nov. 2022 and became fully operational this month.
Norwegian energy firm Equinor (EQNR.OL) and its partners inaugurated the world’s largest floating wind farm, whose output will supply nearby oil and gas platforms and cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Floating offshore wind turbines are different from fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines, which are rooted to the seabed. Offshore wind farm inauguration was done on Wednesday.
Equinor’s Latest Floating Wind Farm Project
Equinor’s latest floating wind project off the country’s coast marks a significant milestone for the company. Back in 2017, it started operations at Hywind Scotland, a five-turbine, 30 MW facility it calls the planet’s first floating wind farm. In total, approximately 200 MW of floating wind projects have been installed to date.
Largest Floating Wind Farm
While wind is a renewable energy source, Hywind Tampen helps power operations at oil and gas fields, the idea of largest wind energy project being that it will cut these sites’ carbon dioxide emissions in the process.
In recent years a range of companies and major economies like the U.S. have laid out goals to ramp up floating wind installations. Can you mention companies and their projects, which year, what output, etc. Mention at least 3.
Equinor, describes the turbines at Hywind Tampen as being “mounted on floating concrete structures with a common anchoring system.”
Alongside Equinor, partners in the largest wind energy project Hywind Tampen include Vår Energi, INPEX Idemitsu, Petoro, Wintershall Dea and OMV.
Benefits of Equinor floating wind farm
Calling the opening a “historic day”, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the initiative of making world’s largest floating wind farm would help Norway cut its CO2 emissions and that abruptly stopping oil and gas was not the solution in the energy transition.
Its 88 megawatts of capacity will cover around 35% of annual power demand for five platforms at the Snorre and Gullfaks oil and gas fields in the North Sea, about 140 km (87 miles) off Norway’s west coast.
“We have a clear ambition in Norway with respect to CO2 emissions, to reduce them (by) 50% (by) 2030. To do that we need power,” Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s head of exploration and production in Norway said.
It is also about building a new industry that is going to be important to create more power in Norway.”
The Hywind Tampen wind farm will reduce CO2 (CO2) emissions by 200,000 tons annually, or 0.4% of Norway’s total CO2 emissions in 2022.
One advantage of floating turbines is that they can be installed in far deeper waters than fixed-bottom ones.
Critics on Equinor floating wind farm
Some environmentalists say the move is positive as it brings down the country’s CO2 emissions, while others say Norway should instead stop producing oil and gas.
In all likelihood, the largest floating wind farm will help in powering the oil and gas industry.
The Equinor floating wind farm will help power the fossil fuel industry and that is likely to spark significant debate at a time when discussions about climate change and the environment are at the front and center of many people’s minds.
This is because fossil fuels’ effect on the environment is considerable. The UN says that, since the 19th century, “human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.”
“Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures,” it adds.
To sum up
Located around 140 kilometers off the coast of Norway in depths ranging from 260 to 300 meters, Hywind Tampen uses 11 turbines. While wind is a renewable energy source, Hywind Tampen helps power operations at oil and gas fields.
As more companies and countries invest in this technology, it will become a more viable option for generating clean energy in a variety of locations.
