TotalEnergies has announced the launch of a pioneering pilot project involving a floating wind turbine to supply renewable energy to the Culzean offshore platform in the UK North Sea.
This innovative project aims to decarbonize offshore operations by integrating renewable energy with traditional power generation, TotalEnergies said.
The 3 MW floating wind turbine will be positioned 2 kilometers west of the Culzean platform, which is located 220 kilometers off the eastern coast of Scotland. Once operational by the end of 2025, the turbine is expected to meet approximately 20 percent of the platform’s power needs, significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The turbine will be installed on a modular, light semi-submersible floater hull designed by Ocergy, a design that allows for quick assembly and cost optimization. This project represents a significant step forward in the hybridization of power generation on offshore facilities, combining renewable electricity from the floating wind turbine with existing gas turbine power generation.
Marie-Noelle Semeria, Chief Technology Officer at TotalEnergies, highlighted the dual objectives of the project: “his innovative pilot project aims at proving the concept of hybridization of power generation on an offshore facility, by integrating the generation of renewable electricity from a floating wind turbine with the existing power generation from gas turbines.”
This pilot was selected as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) leasing round, which is designed to promote the use of offshore wind energy to directly supply offshore oil and gas platforms.