Hywind Tampen (floating wind station)

2023: Station Launch

On August 23, 2023, energy company Equinor, together with partners, opened the world's largest floating offshore wind farm. The complex called Hywind Tampen is located approximately 140 km from the Norwegian coast, where the depth varies from 260 to 300 meters.

The power plant combines eleven 280-meter turbines with a capacity of 8.6 MW each. Thus, the total capacity is 94.6 MW. The implementation of the project cost about €488 million. The complex will provide electricity to the Snorre and Gullfax oil and gas fields in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. It is expected to meet about 35% of the annual electricity needs of the five sites.

Largest floating wind farm Hywind Tampen

Equinor claims that Hywind Tampen will substantially reduce the need for locally produced gas energy. Thanks to this, annual carbon dioxide emissions from these deposits will be reduced by about 200,000 tons, which is equivalent to emissions from 100,000 cars.

Hywind Tampen is Norway's first floating offshore wind farm and the world's first floating wind farm, providing electricity to offshore oil and gas platforms. Floating wind stations are a new type of power plant that is located in deep waters. The turbines are mounted on floating bases that are attached to the seabed.

Norway plans to bring offshore wind power generation to 30 GW by 2040. However, this Scandinavian country is the largest producer of oil and gas in Western Europe. The oil sector accounts for about 40% of Norway's exports and 14% of its gross domestic product. The Norwegian authorities intend to ensure a 55% reduction in the country's emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.^[1]

Notes