Vertical axis floating wind pioneer SeaTwirl eyes North Sea oil and gas tie-up
Floating VAWT specialist reckons its technology is ideally suited to decarbonisation of offshore fossil assets
Swedish floating wind technology developer SeaTwirl has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK oil & gas operator Serica Energy to explore the feasibility of electrification of the latter's North Sea assets.
In a statement, SeaTwirl said the MoU is geared to "identifying and assessing potential opportunities to decarbonise offshore oil and gas production and other associated offshore electrification opportunities using renewable power and, where applicable, subsea energy storage.
"Working together to collate data from Serica's operations will allow SeaTwirl to assess the commercial viability and suitability of SeaTwirl technology for offshore assets," the statement added.
SeaTwirl CEO Johan Sandberg described Serica Energy as a multi-asset North Sea operator with a solid reputation around innovation and decarbonisation of their operations.
"We will explore a range of options with a clear ambition to develop an electrification solution that could be the first of its kind in the industry," he said.
SeaTwirl sees its pioneering vertical axis floating wind turbine (VAWT) as well suited for projects aimed at decarbonising oil and gas production in offshore environments, partly because its backers say it offers easier, cheaper maintenance than other floating wind turbines, especially for smaller projects.
Several projects geared toward decarbonisation of North Sea oil and gas are moving ahead under the UK's Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas initiative for floating wind, which reached fruition in the INTOG seabed lease round of 2022.
However, the most advanced global project of this kind is the 85MW Hywind Tampen project in Norway, where Equinor is using 11 floating offshore wind turbines for partial electrification of the Gullfaks and Snorre oil and gas fields, reducing emissions.
SeaTwirl described Sumitomo Corporation Power & Mobility (SPCM) as its preferred strategic business partner to market a technology that SeaTwirl says is well suited for the conditions in the Japanese offshore environment.
Last year, SeaTwirl signed a deal with technology group Kontiki Winds to explore oil & gas applications and microgrid applications such as power for fish farming.
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