Vår Energi, Odfjell Oceanwind and Source Galileo have joined forces in a pilot project that would see the development of floating offshore wind on the Goliat platform.
The platform is currently electrified and supplied with power from shore via a power cable with a capacity of 75 MW. The pilot project, called GoliatVind, would see the cable being used to supply electricity to the continent, increasing renewable energy generation in Finnmark, according to a statement from Vår Energi.
The project is currently in an early stage and various factors are being studied before a concept selection and development decision can be made. This covers the conditions of the regulatory framework, including incentives and a development license from the authorities, Vår Energi said.
The preliminary plan is to build three to five floating wind turbines at Goliat, each with a capacity of 15 MW. Current operations at Goliat require about 50 MW. Regardless of scope, the project can increase overall power generation in the Hammerfest region.
“The government has decided that all parts of society must be electrified to meet Norway’s climate goals. This requires the development of new generations of renewable energy. Vår Energi is exploring opportunities to make the cable power and the necessary capacity on the platform are available precisely to contribute to this. Odfjell Oceanwind and Source Galileo will be the developer and owner. Vår Energi has no plans to enter into any commercial or operational commitments to the wind farm,” explains Vegard Bruaset, Vice President of the Barents Sea area of Vår Energi.
An important prerequisite for the project to be successful is a good coexistence with the fishing interests of the region and that the connection to Goliat does not entail an operational risk for the facility’s production, noted Vår Energi. Dialogue with relevant fishing organizations and technical studies on Goliath have therefore been initiated, the company added.
Goliat, operated by Vår Energi with Equinor as a partner, became operational in 2016 and has supplied power from shore since the start. This reduces CO2 emissions by 300,000 tons per year, equivalent to the emissions of 100,000 cars, Vår Energi emphasized.
The company aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions from its own production (scope 1) by 50% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.
Vår Energi has also recently confirmed an oil discovery in well 7122/8-1S Countach operated in production license PL229 (Goliat), northwest of Hammerfest, including updated volume estimates.
The well was drilled in one of the segments that make up the Countach prospect. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery in the tested segment between 3 and 13 million bbls of total recoverable oil equivalents. The potential of the Countach prospect, in undrilled segments, is estimated at up to 23 million bbl of total recoverable oil equivalents, the company said.
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