EQUINOR: A Powerhouse Required to Power UK’s Offshore Future

Few energy companies carry the power, prestige, and performance of Equinor. Headquartered in Norway, the group stretches from the North Sea and wider Europe to Brazil and the United States and across the globe, with interests that run from oil and gas through renewables, technology and engineering. That breadth is paying off. In the third quarter of 2026, adjusted operating income reached $12.35 billion, almost double the $6.22 billion of a year earlier, while adjusted net income climbed to $2.86 billion. Production averaged 2.166 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, and the full-year growth forecast was lifted to around 4%.

Offshore wind is a growing part of that mix, and the pace is picking up. “In a period of continued geopolitical tension, we remain committed to safe and reliable operations, supplying the products our customers need. We continue to deliver on our strategy by creating new opportunities for long-term value. The renewable power generation increased by 26% due to contributions from Dogger Bank and a new onshore asset in Brazil,” says Anders Opedal, president and CEO.

Great Britain is where the offshore wind story is told most clearly. Sheringham Shoal, Equinor’s first full-scale commercial offshore wind farm, was fully commissioned in 2012 and now delivers 317 MW from 88 turbines. Dudgeon followed in late 2017 with 402 MW from 67 six-megawatt turbines. Together, the two Norfolk wind farms power around 710,000 UK homes, and more than a decade of operating them has given Equinor the track record that underpins its expansion plans.

Both are now set to double in size. Development consent for the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon extensions was granted in April 2024, and Equinor plans to develop them jointly, sharing transmission infrastructure and a single grid connection at the Norwich Main substation. Once built, the Norfolk wind farms would power nearly 1.5 million homes, with the existing operations and maintenance base at Great Yarmouth supporting the work and more than £370 million of direct gross value added expected for the regional economy. A final investment decision is still to come.

However, the importance of these generating assets has been underlined by a contract award at Dudgeon to ProServ – a specialist in controls technology – which will see the company install its ECG™ cable monitoring infrastructure, combining real-time monitoring with advanced analysis to help identify and prevent failures before they lead to unplanned downtime.

DOGGER BANK

If Norfolk is the steady performer, Dogger Bank is the showpiece. Built in three phases of 1.2 GW more than 130 km off the Yorkshire coast, it will total 3.6 GW from 277 turbines and power around six million British homes when complete. Equinor and SSE Renewables each hold 40%, with Vårgrønn holding the remaining 20%. Installation at the first phase is finished, the second phase has 49 of its 95 turbines in place with completion expected around the second quarter of 2027, and installation at the third begins next year. The progress is already feeding through to the group’s numbers, with renewable generation rising as new capacity comes online.

Industry leaders have been quick to recognise what that scale means for the UK. “The sheer scale of Dogger Bank shows that offshore wind is taking centre stage in Britain’s clean energy system as we move away from expensive imported fossil fuels to secure cheap homegrown power. This massive innovative clean energy project is a significant step forward for the UK’s world-leading offshore wind industry, creating thousands of jobs and attracting billions in private investment,” said Dan McGrail, former Chief Executive of RenewableUK.

An independent estimate puts the farm’s contribution to UK GDP at £6.1 billion over its lifetime, with about 3,600 full-time equivalent jobs supported across the country in 2025. For Equinor, the project is proof of what the sector can deliver. “Set against the broader energy context, Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm demonstrates the best of what the offshore wind industry can offer, with innovative technologies, long-term jobs and economic growth and security of electricity supply at a major scale,” said Opedal.

The people building it are equally focused on the finish. “Together with our partners and contractors, we remain focused on the safe delivery of all three phases of Dogger Bank and the homegrown renewable energy the wind farm will provide for the UK,” said Alan Borland, SSE Turbine Director at Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

FLOATING AHEAD

Innovation does not stop at fixed foundations. Equinor launched its Hywind demonstration turbine in 2009, built the world’s first floating wind farm off Peterhead in 2017, and says it now operates nearly half of the world’s floating wind capacity. Hywind Scotland’s five turbines have delivered a 54% capacity factor over their first five years, while Hywind Tampen in Norway, the world’s largest floating wind farm, has run at more than 51% since it began producing power in November 2022.

“Hywind Tampen is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions with 200,000 tonnes annually from key oil and gas producers in the North Sea… The project has given us and the supplier industry valuable experience that will be important when we work together to develop offshore wind further in Norway and globally, scaling up for the future,” said Kjetil Hove, Vice President, Exploration & Production Norway. Equinor says both Hywind Scotland and Hywind Tampen achieved significant cost reductions over their predecessors, evidence that scale brings down the price of the technology.

That experience now points towards the Celtic Sea. In October 2025, Equinor signed an agreement for lease for a floating wind farm off the coasts of South Wales and south-west England, on a site that can host up to 1.5 GW. Design work, surveys, environmental assessments and consents come first, with operations possible in the mid-2030s. Close to 80% of the world’s offshore wind resource lies in waters deeper than 60 metres, and with bottom-fixed wind scaling up in the North Sea while floating wind matures from pilot to commercial scale, Equinor is placed to lead both.