Aberdeen's status as the home of the world's largest floating wind project has been transferred to Norway as Hywind Tampen, the largest project of its kind globally, was officially inaugurated. The project, consisting of 11 turbines with a total capacity of 88MW, is based on the Hywind concept, which debuted in 2017 off the coast of Peterhead, Scotland.

In a ceremony attended by Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon on behalf of Equinor, the 86-mile offshore Hywind Tampen project holds the significant role of partially electrifying the Gullfaks and Snorre fields in the North Sea. This move aims to substantially decrease CO2 emissions by approximately 200,000 tonnes annually, as the wind power replaces the use of high-polluting gas and diesel generators on the platforms.

The Hywind Tampen wind farm is expected to supply around 35% of the power required by the five platforms – Snorre A and B, along with Gullfaks A, B, and C. Equinor, the operator with decades of experience in oil and gas fields, is managing the project from its Bergen office.

Siri Kindem, Head of Equinor's Norway renewables business, emphasized that the project marks a new milestone for the company, one that leverages the knowledge and experience gained from the oil and gas industry to build a successful renewable energy sector. The endeavor also demonstrates a substantial reduction in floating wind costs, with Equinor reporting a 35% decrease per megawatt installed when compared to the Hywind Scotland project opened in 2017.

The Hywind Tampen initiative aligns with Norway's broader offshore wind energy goals. While Norway plans to award 30GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040, the UK targets 50GW by 2030. This development heralds a promising future for the expansion of the offshore wind sector in both countries and beyond.