1GW floating wind farm planned off Norway

Equinor, Petoro, TotalEnergies, Shell and ConocoPhillips are considering the potential for a 1GW floating offshore wind farm.

Trollvind would be sited in the North Sea, around 65km west of Bergen in the Troll and Oseberg fields. It could deliver 4.3 TWh annually, providing power to the fields and marking a significant step towards the electrification of oil and gas installations.

Equinor’s chief executive, Anders Opedal, described the project as “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.”

It is estimated that Trollvind could deliver power for less than NOK 1/kWh (€0.096 / kWh), providing long-term access to power at a stable price, as well as providing a sufficiently attractive economic basis to trigger the investment.

It is hoped to progress the plans towards an investment decision in 2023, with startup eyed for 2027.