Statoil and Statkraft have signed a letter of intent that Statoil takes over as operator of the 317MW Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm from January 2017. Statoil will also through this deal increase its share in the Dogger Bank projects.
Statoil intends to bring its total ownership in the Dogger Bank projects from 25 per cent up to a potential of 50 per cent through an acquisition of Statkraft’s share.
Dogger Bank is the world’s largest offshore wind development, having achieved consent for an agreed target installed capacity of 4,800 MW.
The final shareholding in Dogger Bank, and the transfer of operatorship for Sheringham Shoal, is pending partner and government approvals. Statoil and Statkraft each hold a 40 per cent share in Sheringham Shoal, with 20 per cent held by the UK Green Investment Bank.
The Sheringham Shoal is located between 17 and 23 kilometres off the coast of North Norfolk, England. The wind farm consists of 88 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 3.6 MW, which were put into operation in 2012.
“Taking over the operatorship for Sheringham Shoal represents a milestone for Statoil, as our first operatorship during commercial operations. As operator of both the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farms, located in the same area, we can further improve efficiency and increase competitiveness across the projects,” said Irene Rummelhoff, Statoil’s executive vice president for New Energy Solutions.