Odfjell Oceanwind looks to power Norwegian Sea platform with floating wind farm

Odfjell Oceanwind has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Norwegian exploration and production company OKEA and the utility company TrønderEnergi to jointly evaluate the potential of developing a floating offshore wind farm connected to the Draugen platform located in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea.

The potential wind farm intends to provide renewable power to the Draugen platform and utilise the Draugen infrastructure, including the planned power from shore cable. The wind farm may also serve the purpose of a flexible storage location for Odfjell Oceanwind’s mobile offshore wind units (MOWUs), producing renewable energy in between contract periods for off-grid applications. The study will include early-stage technical, economical and regulatory evaluations, as well as the potential impact on the environment and climate.

“We look forward to further exploring this exciting opportunity in close collaboration with OKEA and TrønderEnergi. The Draugen wind farm project also fits well with Odfjell Oceanwind’s long term strategy to become a leading global floating wind farm O&M and technology provider,” said Odfjell Oceanwind CEO Per Lund.

Shell discovered the Draugen oil and gas field in 1984 and started producing in 1993. Since taking over the operatorship of Draugen in 2018, OKEA has been able to reduce downtime, optimise production and deliver a production reliability of 99% in 2020.