Equinor has selected the family-owned industrial group Wergeland as its preferred supplier for the fabrication of foundations and the assembly of turbines for floating offshore wind projects.
The Norwegian energy giant said the agreement is aimed at ensuring industrial capacity to develop offshore wind in Norway, where activities are gathered in one location.
“The agreement will promote further development of the Norwegian supplier industry in offshore wind and will also bring local value creation and social development,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, senior vice president for the Renewables Norway cluster.
The first project for cooperation with Wergeland will be the Utsira North project for Equinor and Vårgrønn, which is scheduled to be awarded during the year. The two partners plan to use a concrete floater based on a spar-type design.
“As the only fully Norwegian consortium competing for Utsira awards, we are dedicated to maximising positive local spin-offs and helping establish a Norwegian supply chain for offshore wind capable of delivering at the scale that Norway’s offshore wind ambitions require,” added Christer af Geijerstam, head of project development at Vårgrønn.
The deal has an initial duration of five years, with an option to extend.
