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Offshore wind in Equinor

36,000

Hywind Scotland was the world’s first floating wind farm, powering 36,000 British homes

~1,000,000

We power more than one million European homes from offshore wind farms in the UK and Germany

6 million homes

Dogger Bank offshore wind farm will power 6 million British homes when completed in 2026

The world’s largest wind farm has started production. Hopefully it’s the start of something even bigger.

We’re delighted to announce first power from Dogger Bank Wind Farm. When complete in 2026, these 277 turbines in the North Sea will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, powering six million British homes.

News: Dogger Bank first power

We intend to be a global offshore wind energy major. Here’s how.

We’re uniquely positioned to take a leading role in this burgeoning industry. We have five decades of ocean engineering and project management expertise, in-depth knowledge of the energy markets, skilled personnel and a network of competent partners and suppliers.

We plan to reach an installed net capacity of 12-16 GW by 2030. Our total renewables portfolio has the potential to produce 35-60 TWh in 2030 — and two thirds of this production is expected to come from offshore wind.

The next decisive phase in the global transition to low carbon and renewable energy is happening now, with offshore wind at the centre of the revolution. For the energy transition to succeed, what’s needed is sheer scale: industrial and financial strength, and production capacity at a global level.

What are Equinor’s key strengths?

  • Safety is our first priority
  • Experience with large complex projects and supplier relations
  • Financial strength and risk management
  • Leveraging local presence and corporate capabilities
  • Marine operations and maintenance
  • Technology and innovation

What is the future potential for offshore wind?

  • Offshore wind already has a strong foothold in Europe with close to 18.5 GW installed capacity, and global potential to reach more than 100 GW by 2030. Of this, floating offshore wind is estimated to constitute 10% of the market, potentially powering 12 million homes in 2030.
  • Through larger wind turbines, better design and streamlined operations, costs are decreasing while efficiency is increasing. We believe that offshore wind, over time, increasingly will become commercial without support schemes.
  • We believe floating offshore wind is the next wave in renewable energy and are excited about the possibilities that this new technology unfolds.
  • The International Energy Agency’s first Offshore Wind report, Outlook 2019 , indicated a USD 1 trillion industry opportunity by 2040 and the chance to be one of the top power production technologies across the globe.

Floating is the future of offshore wind

Freeing wind power from the constraints of bottom-fixed designs opens a world of new markets and opportunities. Floating turbines can be placed almost anywhere where the water is deep enough, harnessing the best wind resources and reducing conflicts with other ocean users.

Our floating wind activities

Offshore wind power in Norway

Norway’s coast has some of the best wind resources anywhere in the world. Winds are steady and strong, and the water depths off the coast are suitable for offshore wind turbines.

Here, large scale offshore wind production can create new industrial opportunities for Norway as an energy nation — and be an important contributor to achieving the energy transition.

Hywind Tampen. Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland, Equinor

Where in the world?
Our international portfolio of wind power

Equinor is building material offshore wind clusters in the UK, the US North East and in the Baltic Sea. Offshore wind is an important enabler in the world’s energy transition, and we will use our offshore experience and capabilities to develop the industry further.

Our experience of operating in the demanding conditions in the North Sea has given us insight and knowledge that is transferable to offshore wind projects.

Our ambition is to become an offshore wind major. Here is an overview of our current wind portfolio.

Offshore wind power in the UK

Equinor has long experience with wind power in the UK, having already built and put into operation Sheringham Shoal, Dudgeon and Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating offshore wind farm. Now we’re partnering with SSE Renewables and Vårgrønn to deliver Dogger Bank – the world’s biggest offshore wind farm and an important milestone in delivering UK’s Sector Deal ambitions and decarbonisation goals.

Find out about our UK wind activities

Offshore wind power in the US

Equinor is pursuing offshore wind projects on the east and west coast of the United States and is one of the largest developers in the country’s growing offshore wind industry.

Offshore wind power in Norway

large scale offshore wind production can create new industrial opportunities for Norway as an energy nation — and be an important contributor to achieving the energy transition

Offshore wind power in Poland

For Poland, our ambition is to be a preferred partner contributing to the Polish energy transition and the Norwegian-Polish energy cooperation.

Equinor has interest in all three Baltyk offshore wind development projects (MFW Baltyk III, MFW Baltyk II and MFW Baltyk I). With interest in all three projects, we can build scale and value in what we see as an important energy region.

Other wind farm projects

In addition to our offshore wind presence in the UK, the US, Poland and Norway, we are present in the following markets:

Germany

We are a partner (25%) in the Arkona offshore windfarm in Germany, a 385 MW wind farm located in the Baltic Sea approximately 22 miles from the German coastline. The windfarm has a total of 60 turbines and delivers energy to ~400.000 households annually. The wind farm started production in 2019.

The Netherlands

Eneco and Equinor have joined forces for the offshore wind tenders for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta offshore wind sites in the Netherlands. IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta are important projects in the Dutch Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap adding 4GW of offshore wind power to the Dutch energy mix.

Japan

Japan has strong ambitions to grow within renewables. Equinor has therefore established a country office here to explore renewable and low carbon business opportunities and build our position within the Japanese offshore wind industry.

South Korea

Donghae Windfarm project
Together with our partners Korean National Oil Company and East West Power, we have the ambition to develop a 200 MW floating offshore wind farm in South Korea.

Firefly Wind Farm project
Equinor was awarded the Electricity Business Licence for the Firefly project from South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) in 2021. The 750MW floating offshore wind project offshore Ulsan, South Korea is currently carrying out an environmental impact assessment, targeting commercial operations in the late 2020s – pending a final investment decision.

France

Equinor, RES and Green Giraffe has joined forces and formed Océole, a partnership dedicated to developing floating offshore wind in France.

Establishing this partnership is in line with the three companies’ ambition of delivering high-performance floating offshore wind projects to support France’s targets of up to 6.8 GW offshore wind by 2028 on its path to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Spain

We have teamed up with Naturgy to jointly explore the potential for offshore wind in Spain. 

The first Spanish offshore wind auction is expected to be in the Canary region early 2023 with a qualification process late 2022. Equinor and Naturgy are jointly assessing the opportunity to develop and construct the Floating Wind Canary Island Project (FOWCA) which could potentially be the first renewables project for Equinor in Spain.

Vietnam

With its long coastline and favorable wind conditions, Vietnam has among the best wind resources in Asia and a strong desire to develop an offshore wind market. Equinor has entered an MoU with PetroVietnam for future offshore wind opportunities.

Equinor opened a representative office in Hanoi in May 2022.

Australia

Equinor opened a country office in Sydney in September 2023, and have joined forces with local companies Oceanex Energy and Nexsphere to pursue offshore wind opportunities in the country. Assessing renewable opportunities in Australia supports our strategy as a global offshore wind major to build scale in core areas and secure growth options in attractive new markets early.