Some of the turbines started spinning from the floating, offshore Hywind Tampen facility in the Norwegian waters of the North Sea last year, though the full capacity was only realized in August. Haakon Magnus, the crown prince of Norway, was joined Wednesday by the country's prime minister and other dignitaries in connecting the cables that marked the formal start of operations at the facility.
Used to help power the infrastructure at the Gullfaks and Snorre oil and gas fields in the North Sea, Equinor said the wind facility is expected to cut some 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the North Sea producers.
"Today marks a new milestone," said Siri Kindem, head of Equinor's renewables business in Norway. "With Hywind Tampen, we have shown that we can plan, build and commission a large, floating offshore wind farm in the North Sea."
The 11 turbines that make up the floating wind farm combine for a peak capacity of 88 megawatts. That should cover about 35% of the energy demand for the five offshore platforms in the North Sea.
Norway has one of the fastest-growing markets for offshore wind and its economy is unique. It's a major oil and gas producer for a region increasingly looking for non-Russian resources, but it also powers most of its economy with renewable energy resources.
Last week, its government said that three energy companies were awarded acreage in the North Sea to store carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas. The nation's energy regulator believes the North Sea has the potential to store more than 80 billion tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of 1,000 years worth of Norwegian emissions.
Equinor said it took five years to bring Hywind Tampen from concept to completion. About 60% of the support contracts were awarded to Norwegian firms.
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