Norway

  • Norway’s Equinor Cuts 20% of Renewable Energy Staff

    European energy major Equinor said it is cutting 20% of the workforce, or about 250 jobs, in its renewable energy division due to continued economic challenges. The Norway-based company said the layoffs are part of the company’s effort to streamline its operations. Equinor in recent months has canceled offshore wind projects in several countries, including […]

  • Equinor Ends Plan to Export Hydrogen to Germany

    Energy giant Equinor said it will not export blue hydrogen from Norway to Germany due to economics and a lack of demand. Equinor on September 20 said it would discontinue a project that would have supplied German gas-fired power plants with blue hydrogen via the world’s first offshore hydrogen pipeline. Blue hydrogen is a fuel […]

  • Price Swings Mean Coal May Replace Natural Gas in European Power Mix This Winter

    Higher prices for natural gas across Europe mean some countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, likely will burn more coal for power generation during the upcoming winter season. Coal remains a large part of the energy mix in Germany—the largest energy consumer in Europe—as well as other countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, […]

  • POWER Digest [December 2023]

    Kenya Set to Expand Hydropower Project. Kenya Electricity Generating Co. (KenGen) said it received approval from government officials to move forward with the Gogo hydropower redevelopment project. The Gogo

  • For EV Adoption, How Important Are Proposed EPA Vehicle Emissions Regulations?

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April of this year announced proposed regulations to tighten restrictions on tailpipe emissions for light and medium-duty vehicles and greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles beginning with the 2027 model year. In order to meet the new requirements, the proposed regulations could effectively require automakers to produce zero-emission […]

  • Hydropower Plant in Norway Partly Collapses Due to Floods

    Record-high river levels stemming from Storm Hans, a storm that battered southern Norway this week, have partially destroyed a dam on the Glåma River and inundated Hafslund Eco’s Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant. After days of heavy rain stemming from the powerful storm, which triggered widespread flooding and landslides, the two units at the 40-MW Braskereidfoss […]

  • Swedish Offshore Wind Farm Could Use 30-MW Turbines

    A Sweden-based company that develops deepwater wind power projects has joined with a global renewable energy group in a partnership to develop an offshore wind farm that could feature turbines as large as 30 MW. Freja Offshore, a joint venture (JV) between Sweden’s Hexicon and Mainstream Renewable Power, part of Norway’s Akers Horizon group, on […]

  • Norwegian Group Produces First Batch of Aluminum Using Hydrogen-Fueled Production

    OSLO, Norway (June 15, 2023) — Hydro, a Norway-based company, has produced the world’s first successful batch of aluminium using green hydrogen as an energy source. The test is another step towards carbon-free aluminium. Carbon-free green hydrogen replaced natural gas as fuel for the recycling of aluminium during the test. The test was carried out […]

  • UK Restarts Coal-Fired Units as Temperatures, Power Demand Rise

    Temperatures in the UK recently soared into the high 80s, increasing demand for cooling across Britain and prompting energy company National Grid to call for a restart of a coal-fired power station. Uniper, the German-based energy group, on June 12 said National Grid called for Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire to begin supplying […]

  • Arctic Circle Offshore Wind Farm Will Power Oil Exploration Platform

    Development of the first floating offshore wind farm in the Arctic Circle is moving forward, with three Norwegian companies releasing a project plan for the installation. The GoliatVIND project is envisioned as a 75-MW array installed in deep water northwest of Hammerfest, Norway, in the Barents Sea. The installation would be linked into the Goliat […]

  • Norwegian Group Promotes 20 Areas for Offshore Wind Development

    A Norwegian energy regulator has told officials it has identified at least 20 areas suitable for offshore wind farm development, as the government seeks to meet a target of installing at least 30 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2040. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, an agency under the […]

  • The POWER Interview: FREYR Leads Wave of New Battery Manufacturing

    Growth in the energy storage market, including the transportation sector, has spurred a ramp-up in global battery manufacturing and investment in new technologies. Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the U.S. has brought a flurry of announcements from foreign companies eager to build manufacturing plants in America. FREYR, a Norway-based company, late last […]

  • The Tremendous Potential—and Challenge—of Offshore Wind Energy

    Wind turbines must move farther offshore to gain greater efficiency. But the challenges associated with doing so are significant. At the Dutch village of Den Oever, just north of Amsterdam, the A7 motorway extends onto the Afsluitdijk, a 32-kilometer dike that separates IJsselmeer Lake and the North Sea. Near the midway point, approaching the village […]

  • ‘Largest’ Floating Offshore Wind Farm Comes Online in North Sea

    An installation that at present is considered the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm has produced its first power, providing electricity for oil and gas exploration operations in the North Sea. Hywind Tampen on Nov. 13 began powering Equinor’s drilling at the Gullfaks oil and gas field. The wind farm is located about 87 miles […]

  • China Unveils World’s First Commercial Offshore Wind-Plus-Solar Project

    A pilot project in the waters off China, featuring two floating solar power arrays connected to a transformer on a moored offshore wind turbine, will test the viability of the technology in an area prone to typhoons. China’s government-owned State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) on Nov. 1 announced it had commissioned the project, calling it […]

  • ABB technology to be used in world’s first open CO2 transport and storage infrastructure

    ABB’s automation, electrification and digital solutions to be used in carbon capture project in Norway Project to help accelerate industrial decarbonization and CO2 removals by providing transport and permanent storage of CO2 in reservoirs 2,600 meters under the seabed Plans to store over five million tons of CO2 per year, equivalent of taking one million […]

  • Norway Setting Strategy for Offshore Wind

    Offshore wind is big business in the North Sea, with dozens of wind power installations commissioned in the region over the past two decades. Norway, a country that gets 98% of its power from renewable energy

  • POWER Digest [March 2022]

    Oman Adds Major Solar Project. A consortium consisting of Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power, Kuwait-based Gulf Investment Corp., and Kuwait’s Alternative Energy Projects Co. in January inaugurated Ibri 2, the

  • Biomass Pellets Offer a Carbon-Neutral Alternative to Coal

    An innovative European Union–funded Arbaflame project is aiming to produce 70,000 tonnes of biomass-based combustibles per year to enable clean power generation. The biomass pellets are made of wood and can be used as a 100% sustainable alternative to coal in power plants to produce carbon-neutral power. Sulzer Chemtech’s separation equipment will play a key […]

  • Norwegian Wind Farm Presents Construction, Operational Challenges

    The global wind power industry continues to grow, as more governments set renewable energy targets amid a push for decarbonization and cleaner energy production. The Wind Europe Intelligence Platform reports

  • Norway appoints ARC and partners to lead on nuclear safety

    A consortium led by ARC – the Edinburgh-based risk and safety solutions consultancy – has been selected by Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) to support its activities related to nuclear safety and security over the next 2-4 four years. This appointment is further international recognition of ARC’s reputation as one of the leading […]

  • Total Grabs U.S. Solar and Storage, Joins Bid for Offshore Wind

    French energy major Total has signed an agreement to develop 12 utility-scale solar and energy storage projects in the U.S., announcing the deal Jan. 14, the same day the company said it has joined with Spain’s Iberdrola in a bid for one of the world’s largest offshore wind projects. The moves continue Total’s diversification from […]

  • POWER Digest [December 2020]

    Norwegian Group Buying Vietnam Wind Farm. Norway’s SN Power AS in November agreed to purchase 100% of the shares in the 39.4-MW Dam Nai Wind Power project in Vietnam from Mekong Wind Pte. Ltd., a group owned

  • Developers Make Progress on Solar-Powered Hydrogen Projects

    Two projects focused on solar-powered hydrogen production made notable steps forward recently. One project, supported by Ricardo plc and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), will investigate “using existing solar capacity to produce hydrogen as an alternative to high-carbon fossil fuels.” While the other, developed by HyperSolar Inc., will begin the manufacturing process for its […]

  • First Floating Offshore Wind Farm to Power Oil and Gas Platforms Kicks Off

    Siemens Gamesa has bagged a lucrative contract to supply 11 8-MW offshore wind turbines to Equinor’s 88-MW Hywind Tampen floating wind farm, a first-of-its-kind project that will power oil and gas platforms 140 kilometers offshore Norway.  Equinor—as Statoil, Norway’s state-owned oil company, is now named—announced a final investment decision to build Hywind Tampen on Oct. […]

  • POWER Digest [August 2019]

    VW Chooses MHPS to Modernize Cogen Plant. Volkswagen AG (VW) in early July said it chose Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe (MHPS Europe) to build a gas-and-steam power plant in Wolfsburg, as part of the

  • Wood continues growth in Norway with two new Equinor contracts

    Wood has secured two new contracts from Equinor for onshore and offshore facilities in Norway. The contracts continue Wood’s successful track record of delivering engineering and technical services to Equinor – both in-country and globally – for more than two decades. In the first of the new contracts, Wood will deliver FEED (front-end engineering design) […]

  • DNV GL supports Equinor with verification study for Hywind Tampen floating wind farm

    Oslo, Norway– 1st April 2019 –DNV GL, the world’s largest independent energy advisory and certification body, today announces that it is working with Equinor to undertake a third-party verification study of the Hywind Tampen floating wind farm in Norway. Hywind Tampen is expected to be the world’s first offshore wind farm powering oil platforms. Situated […]

  • Cyberattack Debilitates Major Aluminum and Hydropower Producer

    Norsk Hydro, a major global aluminum producer that is also Norway’s third-largest producer of hydropower, has been stricken by an extensive cyberattack—reportedly ransomware—that forced its entire global network offline. The company powers its sizable aluminum production operations with 20 hydropower plants concentrated in Telemark, Røldal-Suldal, Sogn, and Vennesla, producing a total 10 TWh per year. […]

  • Large onshore order from Norway: Siemens Gamesa to supply 70 wind turbines to three projects

    Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) will supply three onshore wind farms in Norway including 70 units of its Onshore OptimaFlex wind turbines. The SWT-DD-130 turbines will each feature a rated capacity of 4.2 megawatts (MW) and a 130 meter diameter rotor. All turbines will be installed on steel towers with 125 meter hub heights. The […]