Japan's Kansai Joins Floating Offshore Wind Project in Norway

December 7, 2023

Image courtesy Source Galileo and Odfjell Oceanwind

Galileo and Odfjell Oceanwind are collaborating with Vår Energi on a floating offshore wind project at the Goliat platform outside Hammerfest in Norway. The partnership has been strengthened with The Kansai Electric Power Company Inc., a Japanese utility company, joining the team.

The offshore wind park will be connected to the Goliat platform using the existing power cable to shore. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate floating offshore wind technology in Norway, as well as increased production of renewable energy in a region that has a large and growing need of electricity.

“Having Kansai join the team is really great. Their operational expertise and financial strength will help us accelerate floating offshore wind in Norway”, says Gunnar Birkeland, CEO of Source Galileo Norge.

Kansai is Japan's leading energy company. Kansai’s T&D company has one of the longest experience in operating high-voltage grids, approx. 19,000 km length of transmission line in Japan. Also, Kansai is a major global investor in renewable energy and offshore wind. Kansai has a turnover of around NOK 300 billion a year, is listed on the Japanese stock exchange, and the Norwegian Pension Fund owns 0.71 percent of the company.

Kansai is now part of the existing GoliatVIND consortium, with Source Galileo and Odfjell Oceanwind. Kansai’s role is to contribute actively with its expertise and technical competence within interfaces and high-voltage systems, as well as their experience with procurement and financial planning. The company is already involved in the Utsira Nord application, together with Source Galileo, Odfjell Oceanwind and Ingka Investments – IKEA's investment arm. Kansai dispatches three engineers and one commercial specialist from Osaka who will join Source Galileo Norway's head office in Haugesund.

Fast Facts about GoliatVIND

The park will be connected to the power grid via the Goliat FPSO, which is already supplied with power from shore through a 110 kV high-voltage cable.
The cable has a capacity of 75 MW and GoliatVIND is planned with the same capacity. It corresponds to approx. 320 GWh added energy to the Hammerfest region in an average year.
Currently, there are plans for five floating wind turbines of 15 MW each.
The area is at 71 degrees north, located approx. 95 km northwest of Hammerfest at a depth of 3-400 metres. The floating wind turbines will be placed 5-11 kilometres from the Goliat platform. The placement of the wind turbines in the offshore wind farm in GoliatVIND has been done after dialogue with fishing interests.
The location is ideal for the design of Odfjell Oceanwind's floating wind foundation Deepsea Star.
The park is planned to be in operation in 2027, depending on how the licensing process is laid out by the Ministry of Oil and Energy. In this way, the experience can be used in Norway's future floating offshore wind investment, including at Utsira Nord.