The delivery of an 88MW floating wind farm, which is described as the world’s largest of its kind, faces delays as a result of supply chain bottlenecks.
Equinor, owner and operator of the project, has said these issues have forced it to postpone the completion of the Hywind Tampen wind farm to the spring of next year.
The company stated: “Supply chain bottlenecks, most notably related to the global market for steel, preclude delivery of the final four tower sections for the wind turbines until September 2022.
“This will be too late in relation to the installation weather window for the year, postponing installation of the remaining four turbines until next year.”
The project is predicted to be capable of meeting around 35% of the annual electricity demand of the five Snorre A and B and the Gullfaks A, B and C platforms in Norway – the first ever oil and gas platforms to be powered by a floating offshore wind farm.
By reducing the use of gas turbines on the fields, Equinor expects the project to help cut carbon emissions by more than 200,000 tonnes a year – equivalent to the annual emissions from 100,000 cars.
