Closed - NOW Accelerator: Continued use of floating wind substructures

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How can we ensure continued use of floating wind substructures? Sustainability and reuse are important parts of our renewable energy strategy, with great potential for innovation and improvement. The industry currently lacks extensive experience with the decommissioning and recycling of large-scale floating offshore wind farms. While there has been progress in the reuse and recycling of wind turbine blades, there is still a gap in addressing the reuse and recycling of floating offshore wind substructures. There will be a pressing need for effective strategies to handle the large volume of floating substructures requiring reuse and recycling. CHALLENGE OVERVIEW About the seeker Equinor has a long history in the energy sector, with 50 years of experience in oil and gas and over 20 years in offshore wind. This unique combination of expertise makes Equinor a leader in developing and operating offshore wind projects. Our floating wind projects include the Hywind demo, Hywind Scotland, and the latest, Hywind Tampen. Hywind Tampen, the world's largest floating wind farm, supplies power to oil and gas installations, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 200,000 tons annually. Equinor aims to be the leading industrial offshore wind player in Norway, and we expect floating to play a central role in the development of the sector. Floating wind is ready for industrialisaton, and we see huge potential in Norway. Sustainability and Reuse in Offshore Wind Sustainability and reuse are important parts of our renewable energy strategy, with great potential for innovation and improvement. The industry currently lacks extensive experience with the decommissioning and recycling of large-scale floating offshore wind farms. While there has been progress in the reuse and recycling of wind turbine blades, there is still a gap in addressing the reuse and recycling of floating offshore wind substructures. There will be a pressing need for effective strategies to handle the large volume of floating substructures requiring reuse and recycling. CHALLENGE DETAIL  We need innovative solutions to manage the end-of-life phase of floating offshore wind substructures – both steel and concrete. Early focus on reuse, afterlife, circularity, and recycling is important to adjust and optimize design. One example case will be presented in a scheduled Q&A session for all challenge applicants. We invite you to contribute your expertise and innovative ideas to help us address this challenge and advance the sustainability of the offshore wind industry. SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS We aim to be a leading company in the energy transition and have set a clear ambition to reach net zero by 2050. Our Energy transition plan (2022) outlines how we aim to become a broad energy company and deliver on our net-zero ambition by 2050. Since we announced our updated strategy, we have made significant progress accelerating our transition, among these, an agreement with Australia-based rare earth exploration and development company, Pensana to develop a low-energy method to recycle end-of-life magnets from wind turbine components. To achieve a just energy transition, we must engage in dialogue and collaboration with all our key stakeholders – our workforce, supply chain, partners, industrial customers and local communities. The shift to a more resource-efficient, circular economy is an opportunity across our activities - for example, in the decommissioning of offshore facilities and wind turbines, and by ensuring sustainable use of materials and components in our different value chains. In the important years ahead, we will continue to rely on existing expertise, support education initiatives and invest in skills building to develop future-fit workforces to meet our targets. Accordingly, we would like the solution to this challenge to reflect the above positions and ambitions. EVALUATION CRITERIA We see a clear value in terms of sustainability, economic, technical and/or safety of implementing the proposed solution. We see a positive contribution to local stakeholders. We see the potential for realistic implementation. Realistic progress plan from idea to product THE PRIZE The winner will have the opportunity to engage and collaborate with Equinor in implementing their solutions in the design of and/or ultimately reuse of floating wind substructures FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Confidentiality: All submissions will be handled with strict confidentiality, accessible only to the challenge participants and the organizing teams. Eligibility: The challenge is open to global entities with the capability to deliver scalable, impactful solutions specifically tailored to the floating offshore wind sector.

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