Offshore drilling firm Archer has signed a deal to deliver the floating platform for TotalEnergies (XPAR: TTE) Culzean wind pilot project in the UK North Sea.
The group, through its newly-acquired Archer Wind business, has begun progressing engineering plans and engaging key fabrication and assembly subcontractors to execute the project according to an ambitious schedule.
French firm TotalEnergies aims to connect its Culzean oil and gas platform to a floating wind turbine to provide around 20% of the installation’s power needs, supplementing existing gas turbines.
The pilot project is touted to use a 3MW turbine, with TotalEnergies previously suggesting it would use a Vestas 112 model.
Ocergy, the marine energy technology specialised based in the US and France, has also been signed up to provide the semi-submersible floating hull. The company’s designs are made to support serial production by using prefabricated modules that can be assembled in ports or yards close to where the wind farm will be operating.
Archer acquired in Moreld Ocean Wind in July this year, renaming it Archer Wind, along with a minority stake in Ocergy.
With around 30 engineers based in Norway, the group provides project management and engineering for fabrication and assembly of floating substructures for wind turbines.
The Culzean platform is located 220km off the east coast of Scotland, with the turbine to be based around 2km from the asset.
The pilot project was selected in Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil & Gas (INTOG) leasing round.
Installation of the project is touted to take place in late 2025.
Wolfgang Wandl, CEO of Archer Wind commented: “We are honoured to collaborate with TotalEnergies on this pilot project and combine our project execution expertise with Ocergy’s next generation floating foundation design. We are set to advance the standards in the floating wind industry and reduce the levelized cost of energy with one of the most promising floater designs in the market.
“This contract underscores Archer’s development of renewable energy services with our customers and highlights the company’s capacity in floating offshore wind solutions.”
The Culzean electrification project is part of a larger plan from TotalEnergies to cut greenhouse gas emissions from operated facilities to less than 38m tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2025 – down from 17% from 46 million in 2022.
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