ABB in Norway has clinched a NOK430-million ($72-million) contract to electrify Statoil’s Gjoa platform by sub-sea cable from a gas-fired power plant at Mongstad, southwestern Norway, it was announced late Friday.

Some $10 million dollars appears to have cropped from the contract figure publicized after a Statoi invitation earlier this spring.

By foregoing the use offshore power production by generator and turbine, Statoil avoids Norwegian carbon tax on what could have been 230,000 tonnes of yearly carbon emissions.

The move is also timely: A quiet debate rages in Norway over what environmentalists believe is the industry’s lack of willingness to consider supplying all offshore power by shore cable. Greens cite the paucity of studies on offshore electrification from land.

At stake are future generator, turbine and service contracts.

The 98-kilometre, 115 kilovolt ABB cable can handle 40 megawatts of power-generation. It will be the longest sub-sea electric span to a floating platform in the world.

The XLPE cable was first developed in the 1960s and is know for low power loss enroute.

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