Offshore staff
SANDNES, Norway — Vår Energi is teaming up wiith Odfjell Oceanwind and Source Galileo to pursue a pilot floating offshore wind project at the Goliat production complex in the Barents Sea.
The circular Goliat FPSO is already electrified drawing on power from shore imported via a 75-MW capacity subsea cable.
For this new project, named GoliatVIND, the cable would serve as infrastructure for sending electricity to the mainland in northern Norway and increasing renewable power generation in the Finnmark region.
Prior to selecting a concept and taking a development decision, Eni and its partners are assessing regulatory framework conditions, including incentives and securing a development license from the authorities.
At present, the plan is to install three to five floating wind units at Goliat, each supporting a 15-MW wind turbine generator, so up to 75 MW of installed capacity. Current operations at the field require about 50 MW.
Odfjell Oceanwind’s semisubmersible, moored, steel floating wind foundation Deepsea Star has been selected for the wind park. The concept is undergoing basic design approval from DNV for a multi-locational design, which would qualify it for deployment in all relevant locations for floating wind in the North Atlantic region, including the Scotwind, INTOG and Utsira Nord areas of the North Sea, along with the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea
DNV recently issued approval for the Deepsea Semi 12-MW design.
GoliatVIND, located at 71°N in the Barents Sea, could potentially be the first offshore wind park in an Arctic location. Water depth in the area is 300-400 m, said to be ideal for the Deepsea Star design.
Odfjell Oceanwind and Source Galileo will be the developer and owner. Vår Energi would not take on commercial or operational commitments for the wind park.
The development would need to avoid interfering with local fisheries interests’ and dialogue has started with relevant parties. There must also be no operational risk to production on the Goliat platform.
Goliat came onstream in 2016 and has always been supplied with power from shore, cutting CO2 emissions by an estimated 300,000 metric tons annually.
The FPSO is owned by Vår Energi and co-venturer Equinor, which have granted the GoliatVIND consortium rights to use the Goliat FPSO cable infrastructure to connect to the onshore grid.
04.26.2023
