Norway’s Statoil (NYSE: STO) said it plans to concentrate even more strongly on offshore wind turbines as part of its strategy for renewable energy.
As part of its commitment to marine turbines, the company said it will gradually divest its land-based wind power projects.
Statoil has a relatively limited wind-power portfolio on land,
comprising 18 turbines operating at two locations in Norway, and
holdings in another four licensed projects.
The group in also
involved in eight wholly or partly owned projects in the development pipeline.
The company said the decision is due in part to good test results with its Hywind offshore wind turbine.
In addition, the company already has extensive offshore experience from the oil and gas industry.
“We’ve become involved in major offshore wind power projects in recent years,” explains Anne Strømmen Lycke, who heads the group’s commitment in this area. “These include the Sheringham Shoal wind farm, currently under construction, and the licensed Dogger Bank project. Both of these are off the UK.
“We’ve also developed a unique prototype for a floating wind turbine. This Hywind concept is being tested off south-western Norway.”
Statoil said the market for such units has risen by no less than 50% over a year, putting the company in a favorable position as an early mover.
“It now looks as if we’ll be able to cut the costs of floating wind
turbines by more than 50%. And we can see that the new technology
incorporated in Hywind functions as intended.
“We’re currently analysing alternative locations for a demonstration
farm embracing several floating turbines as the next stage in the
commercialisation of this concept.”
Statoil is collaborating with suppliers in Norway and abroad with a goal of achieving a cost per kilowatt-hour that makes it possible to operate wind farms without subsidies.
A gearless turbine prototype, for instance, is being tested at Havøygalen in the far northern county of Finnmark.
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