Norwegian oil and gas major Aker BP has tabled a proposal to power the NOAKA project on the Norwegian Continental Shelf with electricity from shore combined with offshore wind.
The NOAKA (North of Alvheim Krafla Askja) project is located south of Oseberg in the Northern North Sea and is being developed jointly by Aker BP, Statoil, and Grupa Lotos.
Statoil and Aker BP are reportedly at odds as to how the project should be developed. Currently, there are two development concepts on the table, one involving unmanned platforms with host support, and one involving a central hub platform.
Aker BP recommends developing NOAKA with a new hub platform, which is said to ensure production from all discoveries in the area as well as higher resource recovery and socio-economic benefits than the alternative.
The company is targeting a concept selection in 2018. The ambition is to make NOAKA the first energy positive zero emissions field development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, Aker BP said.
The company did not get into any further details on how offshore wind would be incorporated into the project. If the proposed concept is agreed upon, the two developers could benefit from Statoil’s experience within the offshore wind industry.
Statoil is the part owner and operator of the world’s first operating commercial floating wind farm, the 30MW Hywind Scotland . The company was also the first to install a floating wind turbine – the Hywind Demo turbine off Norway which has been operating since 2009.
Statoil also partly owns and operates the Dudgeon wind farm and the Sheringham Shoal wind farm in the UK. In Germany, E.ON and Statoil are currently building the Arkona offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea.