Floating wind to power oil and gas

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Vårgrønn and Flotation Energy have submitted a marine application which if successful could see their future wind farm providing electricity for oil and gas platforms in what they say is in line with Scotland’s 2045 ‘Net Zero’ target.

The Green Volt project is a wind farm of up to 35 floating wind turbines 80km off the east coast of Scotland. It is due to become operational in 2027 with a generating capacity of 500MW.

The kind of rig that Green Volt would power

The kind of oil rig that Green Volt floating wind would power

“This project has the potential to generate enough green power to electrify all major oil and gas platforms in the Outer Moray Firth area,” said a spokesperson for the project. “The project will also deliver renewable electricity to consumers across the UK.

“This consent application could allow the project to start generating power in the mid-2020s, making it the most advanced oil and gas decarbonisation project in the UK.”

The application is being made for a lease for Green Volt under the Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) round.

The spokesperson said the project would save more than a million tonnes of carbon each year.

“We have been actively developing the project since 2020 and this consent application is a major milestone. It keeps us on track to deliver renewable power to the oil and gas sector by 2026,” said Flotation Energy CEO Nicol Stephen.

“If these projects are not delivering green electricity to offshore facilities by the mid-2020s there is a real risk they will never happen. The prize is a very big one. The reduction in offshore carbon emissions will be enormous. As well as tackling climate change, the project will lead to billions of pounds of new investment and thousands of skilled jobs.”

“If awarded the opportunity, we will bring green energy to the market swiftly while investing in building a local supply chain,” said Vårgrønn CEO Olav Hetland. “To ensure we stand ready to deliver as quickly as possible if we succeed with our INTOG bid, we are applying for the Marine Licence for the project already now.”

The spokesperson was unable to give further details of which platforms the turbines would power, nor by which companies they were owned.