The 30-MW Hywind Scotland floating wind farm has achieved an average capacity factor of 57.1% in the 12 months to March 2021, marking a new record in the UK, its operator, Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR), said on Tuesday.
Hywind Scotland has been the best performing offshore wind farm in the UK for a third consecutive year. The wind farm's average capacity factor during its first two years of operation was 54%, compared to an offshore wind average in the UK of around 40%, according to the announcement, which includes a reference to the energynumbers.info website.
Hywind Scotland was opened in 2017 and became the world's first commercial floating offshore wind farm. The Norwegian energy group said its performance has demonstrated the potential for floating offshore wind and bodes well for the UK's commitment to 1 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2030.
The company also noted that scale is key to lowering cost. Equinor is developing the bigger 88-MW Hywind Tampen floating wind project off the coast of Norway, currently under construction, and expects a 40% reduction in CAPEX per MW between Hywind Scotland and Hywind Tampen.
