Norwegian company Equinor bids for Scottish offshore wind lease cycle
OSLO, July 19 (Reuters) – Equinor (EQNR.OL) announced on Monday that it has submitted a bid for a floating offshore wind power project as part of a lease cycle in Scotland as the Norwegian energy company continues to develop its offshore wind cluster in the North Sea and deepen its presence across Great Britain.
The company will face stiff competition for leases as the Scottish scheme attracts interest from offshore wind developers and oil producers looking to increase their renewable energy portfolios. Read more
ScotWind’s lease cycle is a good strategic fit with our ambition to expand offshore wind capacity in the North Sea, Equinor said in a statement.
The company already operates the small floating Hywind offshore wind farm (30 megawatts), off the north-east coast of Scotland, and is a partner of several other UK offshore wind farms.
The Scottish lease cycle has offered an excellent opportunity to develop large scale floating offshore wind projects, Equinor added.
Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind wind leasing tender is the first in a decade and is expected to lead the development of around 10 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity, much of which is expected to use floating wind technology.
Norwegian offshore wind developer Magnora Offshore wind (MGNR.OL) also confirmed on Monday that it had applied for two zones in Scotland with TechnipFM (1T1.F). Read more
The results of the ScotWind rental cycle are expected to be announced early next year.
Reporting by Nora Buli, editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips
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