Norwegian energy giant Equinor has partnered up with Spanish utility Naturgy to develop and build a floating offshore wind farm off the coast of the Canary Islands.
The Spanish government aims to transform its energy mix and plans to develop up to 3 GW of offshore wind by 2030, with the country’s first wind auction expected to be in the Canary region in 2023.
Naturgy will contribute with its experience from onshore wind in Spain and Equinor with its capabilities in floating offshore wind technology and development. Equinor installed the first-ever floating offshore wind turbine in 2009 and operates the 30 MW Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating wind farm, which began production in 2017. The company also has an 88 MW floating wind power project in Norway and is developing an 800 MW floater giant in South Korea.
“It is great to see the deployment of offshore wind in Spain. 3GW by 2030 is an ambitious target, with floating offshore wind it is doable. Equinor has a long history in Spain and Naturgy is a well-known partner for Equinor. Together we now want to contribute long term to the country’s renewable energy plans and start by developing the first commercial floating offshore wind farm in Spain,” said Equinor’s senior vice president for business development in Renewables, Jens Økland.
Spain plays a key role in the supply chain for offshore wind in the rest of Europe and Equinor has a long history of working together with the Spanish offshore supply industry. Key components like the floating substructure, the tower, and the mooring at Hywind Scotland were produced in Spain.
