Siemens Gamesa will supply 8MW turbines to a landmark 88MW floating wind farm that is set to part-power five oil & gas platforms off Norway.
The contracts led off five major deals worth a total of about NKr3.3bn ($380m) signed today by Norwegian energy giant Equinor for its Hywind Tampen project, which will supply about 35% of the electricity used at the Gullfaks and Snorre offshore oil & gas fields near Bergen, Norway.
The platforms currently get all their power from on-site gas turbines, and Equinor expects Tampen to reduce their carbon emissions by 200,000 tonnes per year.
Key project contracts were also signed with construction firm Kværner, cable supplier JDR and underwater services provider Subsea 7.
“The signing of five major contracts is a key milestone in realising the Hywind Tampen pioneer project,” said Equinor’s executive vice president for technology, projects & drilling Anders Opedal.
“Won in international competition, the contracts prove that the oil and gas industry is also competitive for renewables projects. The awarded contracts will generate considerable spin-offs in Norway.”
The 11 SG8.0-167DD turbines will be built at several European locations before transportation to the Gulen industrial harbor near Bergen for final assembly, with the 88MW project due to be completed in the autumn of 2022.
The turbines’ floating concrete substructures will be designed, constructed and installed by Kværner under the NKr1.5bn contract, which will also see the company performing the tow-out and installation of the completed turbines atop the foundations.
“The Hywind Tampen project paves the way for more wind power farms both in Norway and internationally,” said Kværner president and chief executive Karl-Petter Loken. “Today’s new contract is a very important step in Kværner's strategy to grow within the renewables business, in addition to our existing business within oil and gas.”
Construction of the 11 concrete hulls will begin at a drydock at Kværner's specialised yard at Stord in Norway, with completion at its Dommersnes site.
The electrical cables will be delivered by JDR Cable Systems and fabricated at Hartlepool in the UK. Subsea 7 will be responsible for installation of cables and connection to the Snorre and Gullfaks platforms.
The final Hywind Tampen investment is expected to be close to NKr5bn ($575m). All contracts are subject to final approval of the plan for development and operation by the Norwegian authorities.
The Gullfaks field is co-owned by Equinor (51%) Petoro AS (30%) and OMV (19%), while Snorre is co-owned by Equinor (33.3%), Petoro (30%), ExxonMobil E&P Norway (17.5%), Idemitsu Petroluem Norge (9.6%), DEA Norge (8.6%), and (Var Energi 1.1%).
