Siri Espedal Kindem: “Unfortunately, we no longer see a way forward to deliver on our original concept.”
Equinor stated in the present day that it’s going to postpone any additional improvement of the Trollvind floating offshore wind farm initiative indefinitely.
“This decision is based on several challenges facing the project, including technology availability, rising cost and a strained timetable to deliver on the original concept.” stated the state-owned power firm. “The authorities have been informed about the decision.”
Equinor had beforehand introduced diminished exercise on the venture, citing technical, regulatory, and industrial challenges.
When first introduced again in June 2022, plans have been to construct a floating offshore wind farm within the Troll space some 65 kilometers west of Bergen, Norway.
With an put in capability of about ~1 GW and an annual manufacturing of ~4.3 TWh, with a startup in 2027, Trollvind was aimed toward offering a lot of the electrical energy wanted to run the Troll and Oseberg offshore fields via an onshore connection level.
“We appreciate all the positive response towards Trollvind from politicians, suppliers, and authorities. Trollvind was a bold industrial plan to solve pressing issues concerning electrification of oil and gas installations, bringing much needed power to the Bergen-area, while accelerating floating offshore wind power in Norway” says Siri Espedal Kindem, the previous president of Equinor Wind US who’s now vice chairman of renewables Norway at Equinor. “Unfortunately, we no longer see a way forward to deliver on our original concept of having an operational wind farm well before 2030.”
Behind the choice to place Trollvind on maintain, says Equinor, are a number of challenges going through the broader offshore wind trade. Rising prices have challenged the unique idea that Trollvind wouldn’t require any monetary help and it’s now not a commercially sustainable venture.
Furthermore, “changes in the technical solutions due to preferred technology not being available have made the concept less viable,” says Equinor, including that “time was always going to be a challenge with the proposed timeline, and despite all the big effort it has not been possible to mature Trollvind to the level needed to go forward at this time.”
The firm says that the data and studying from engaged on Trollvind shall be utilized to different tasks because it stay dedicated to growing floating offshore wind energy at Utsira Nord and out of doors Norway
