Equinor is a major international energy company, under Norwegian state control, whose activities, originally focused on hydrocarbons, are now extending to renewable energies. In particular, it is a leading player in wind energy, and recently announced its intention to expand its wind energy production capacity by building new offshore facilities. The Hywind Tampen floating wind farm it developed to supply electricity to its Snorre and Gullfaks oil and gas fields in the Norwegian North Sea was a first, and today remains one of the largest in operation anywhere in the world.

Dr.techn. Olav Olsen, Artelia’s Norwegian subsidiary, contributed to this innovative project by developing the concept and carrying out the studies for a Hywind-type floating solution to support these offshore wind turbines. Its teams dimensioned the concept and studied its stability, carrying out dynamic analyses, structural analyses and the design of the steel tower substructure and mooring lines. They then continued to provide analytical support to Equinor throughout the detailed design phase. Dr.techn. Olav Olsen also worked closely with the wind turbine supplier on the manufacturing method, costing and forward planning.

Photo credits: Equinor