MEMBER NEWS: Equinor ready to further develop floating offshore wind in Scotland

July 19, 2021
MEMBER NEWS: Equinor ready to further develop floating offshore wind in Scotland

Equinor has confirmed it has bid for floating offshore wind in ScotWind, the competitive tender offshore wind seabed leasing round being undertaken by Crown Estate Scotland.

Equinor has experience operating floating offshore and has already deployed and producing electricity at Hywind Scotland, located off the northeast coast of Scotland. The company claims since Hywind Scotland started operations in 2019, the project consistently provided the highest capacity factor among all UK offshore wind farms.

In the Norwegian North Sea, Equinor is currently constructing the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm under development, Hywind Tampen (88 MW) which will go online in 2022.

Equinor is also a partner in the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, which is currently under construction. At 3.6 GW this wind farm will be one of the largest in the world.

The offshore wind major is also planning to extend its Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal wind farms, doubling (719 MW) the offshore wind capacity off the coast of Norfolk.

“Equinor has the experience and capabilities necessary to develop the next full-scale floating offshore wind farm in Scotland following Hywind Scotland. By leveraging our offshore execution capabilities and our leading position in floating offshore wind, we are ready to create more long-term value and drive the industrialisation of floating offshore wind further. We see floating wind as an enabler for the Scottish Government to achieve its offshore wind targets and help reach its ambitious net zero target of 2045,” said Equinor’s senior vice president for business development in Renewables, Jens Økland.

“A net zero world needs offshore wind to grow fast and at scale. We are an offshore energy company playing to our strengths, leveraging our execution capabilities and our leading position in floating offshore wind. Applying these capabilities in developing large-scale offshore wind projects and low carbon technologies puts us in a strong position to create long term value for shareholders and support the UK in reaching its net zero targets.”

Get in touch

AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

Contact Us
“

AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
“

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
“

The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
“

Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
“

Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise