Norway’s Equinor looking into offshore wind in Greece

Norway’s oil and wind energy company Equinor is in an early stage of identifying opportunities concerning offshore wind in Greece, according to a statement from the company, formerly Statoil.

“Due to excellent wind conditions offshore, deep waters and the strong industrial/yard and maritime tradition Greece is well positioned to become an important area for floating offshore wind. We are hopeful that there will be a business case for floating offshore wind in Greece,” Eskil Eriksen, press spokesperson at Equinor, said in a statement to Balkan Green Energy News, adding that the company is “still in an early stage in identifying opportunities within offshore wind in Greece.”

The statement follows the Greek media reports according to which the Norwegian and Greek governments are in talks on a floating wind farm in the Aegean Sea.

According to the Athens News Agency, the investment plan has been discussed between the Norwegian ambassador to Greece and the Greek government, Greek Reporter wrote.

The project would be located in the center of the Aegean Sea and would be capable of serving up to 40,000 households, according to the report.

Despite Greece’s major wind power potential, the local floating wind turbine market has remained stagnant since 2010.

“Close to 80% of the oceans resource potential is in deep waters. That’s ideal for floating offshore wind power”

Equinor’s portfolio includes both bottom-fixed and floating wind farms

Equinor is involved in a number of significant wind projects worldwide, including four in the UK, one in Germany, and one in the US.

Three of its UK wind farms employ conventional, bottom-fixed turbines, while the Hywind Scotland wind farm, majority owned by Equinor and minority owned by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Masdar, employs floating wind turbines.

“Close to 80% of the oceans resource potential is in deep waters. That’s ideal for floating offshore wind power,” according to Equinor’s website.