Hywind comprises a 2.3-megawatt wind turbine installed on a traditional floater of the kind previously used for such applications as production platforms and offshore loading.
Initiated by StatoilHydro
The Hywind turbine, part of a pilot project led by the Norwegian energy company StatoilHydro, is a good example of the way StatoilHydro’s long experience from the offshore oil and gas business can be applied to tomorrow’s market for renewable energy.
“We’ve drawn on experience acquired during 30 years on the Norwegian continental shelf to realise this groundbreaking project,” says Gunnar Myrebøe, Executive Vice President for Projects & Procurement at StatoilHydro. “In that respect, our close collaboration with the supplies industry has played a key role in the success of the Hywind development.”
State support
The turbine was manufactured by the Siemens Wind Power company in Denmark, while France’s Technip built the floater and Nexans produced and laid the power cable to land.
StatoilHydro is investing about NOK 340 million in the project, with Enova providing NOK 59 million. The latter is a state-owned company which promotes environmentally sound changes to energy production and use in Norway.
Two-year trial
Following assembly in the Åmøy Fjord near Stavanger, the Hywind pilot was towed in June to a location 10 kilometres southwest of the island of Karmøy for a two-year test period.
The primary purpose of the Hywind pilot is to learn how wind and waves affect its structure. StatoilHydro can then apply that knowledge to optimise commercialisation and drive down the costs of floating wind power to make it competitive on the energy market.