So News - North Sea oil and gas platforms to be powered by wind.

​For the first time, oil and gas platforms will be powered by a floating offshore wind farm. Equinor, Norwegian multinational energy company and its partners in the Snorre and Gullfaks developments have submitted development plans to the Norwegian authorities to create an offshore wind farm to power both oil and gas platforms – Hywind Tampen.

The Hywind Tampen project will approximately cost a total of $550 million. The wind farm will be located 140km from the Norwegian coastline, in 260-300 metres of water, between the Snorre and Gullfaks platforms. The plan is to set up 11 wind-turbines in the North Sea, total capacity of 88-MW. Hywind Tampen is the first of its kind and the world’s biggest floating wind power project.

Reducing the usage of gasoline generators is part of Norway’s effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production. CO2 emissions will reduce by greater than 200,000 tonnes per year, the same as the annual emissions from 100,000 passenger vehicles.

“The decision by the Snorre and Gullfaks partners helps bring this technology an important step forward,” Equinor Chief Executive Officer Eldar Saetre said in the statement. “Floating offshore wind may play an important part in the energy transition towards more sustainable global energy supply. This brings substantial opportunities for Norwegian industry.”

Hywind Tampen is scheduled to come on stream in 2020 and will operate from Equnior’s Bergen office.

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