Hywind Scotland is the world's first commercial wind farm using floating wind turbines, situated 29 kilometres (18 mi) off Peterhead, Scotland. The farm has five 6 MW Hywind floating turbines with a total capacity of 30 MW.[1] It is operated by Hywind (Scotland) Limited, a joint venture of Equinor (75%) and Masdar (25%).[2]
Hywind Scotland | |
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Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
Location | Scotland, Grampian |
Coordinates | 57°29′N 01°21′W |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 2016 |
Commission date | October 2017 |
Construction cost | £264m |
Owner(s) | Equinor (75%) Masdar (25%) |
Operator(s) | Hywind (Scotland) Limited |
Wind farm | |
Type | Offshore |
Max. water depth | 95–120 m (312–394 ft) |
Distance from shore | 25 km (16 mi) |
Hub height | 101 m (331 ft) |
Rotor diameter | 154 m (505 ft) |
Rated wind speed | 10.1 m/s (36 km/h) |
Site area | 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) |
Power generation | |
Units operational | 5 x 6 MW |
Make and model | Siemens Wind Power SWT-6.0-154 |
Nameplate capacity | 30 MW |
Equinor (then: Statoil) launched the world's first operational deep-water floating large-capacity wind turbine, Hywind, in 2009.[3] The 120 metres (390 ft) tall tower with a 2.3 MW turbine was towed 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) offshore into the Amoy Fjord in 220 metres (720 ft) deep water, off of Stavanger, Norway on 9 June 2009 for a two-year test run,[4] but stayed for about 10 years[5] while surviving 40 m/s wind speed and 19 m waves.[6]
In 2015, the company received permission to install the wind farm in Scotland, in an attempt at reducing the cost relative to the original Hywind.[7][8] Manufacturing for the project, with a budgeted cost of NOK2 billion (£152m), started in 2016 in Spain, Norway and Scotland. The turbines were assembled at Stord in Norway in summer 2017 using the Saipem 7000 floating crane, and the finished turbines were moved to near Peterhead.[9][10][11] Three suction anchors hold each turbine.[12] Hywind Scotland was commissioned in October 2017.[13][14][15] While cost was reduced compared to the very expensive Hywind one,[6][16] it still came with a final capital cost of £264m, or £8.8m/MW, approximately three times the capital cost of fixed offshore windfarms.[17]
In its first years of operation the facility has averaged a capacity factor in excess of 50%.[18][19][20]
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