Sun Jul 27 2025 01:16:57 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time)
Fact Check: Viral Image of Underwater Wind Turbines Claimed to Be from Norway Is AI-Generated
Wind turbines are devices that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. They act as a renewable energy source by using the wind
Claim :
Viral image shows underwater wind turbines for energy production, developed and installed by Norway.Fact :
The viral image showing underwater wind turbines is AI-generated.
Wind turbines are devices that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. They act as a renewable energy source by using the wind to turn the blades, which then spin a generator to produce electricity. The turbines are used in various places, from individual homes to large wind farms.
Offshore wind farms, consisting of wind turbines placed in open waters like the ocean or large lakes, leverage the stronger and more consistent wind patterns found at sea to generate electricity. These installations are recognized as a crucial component of the global transition towards a low-carbon future due to their ability to produce large amounts of clean, renewable energy. The United Kingdom has the deepest water wind turbine foundations in the world, located at the Seagreen offshore wind farm in Scotland.
Meanwhile, an image showing wind turbines underwater is in circulation on social media, claiming that it shows the underwater turbines built by Norway.
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact check:
The claim is False. The image is AI-generated.
When we observe the image carefully, we can see that most of the turbines in the image have four blades, and some have three. The placement of the blades on each turbine is irregular and does not follow a standard pattern. So, we checked the image using AI image detectors to verify if it was AI-generated. When we checked it using Hive Moderation, we found that the image is 97.4% AI-generated. Here is the screenshot of the result.
We also checked the image using WasItAI, and it confirmed that the image was AI-generated. Here is the screenshot of the result.
The long caption on the image does not mention any company or project responsible for the alleged turbines. We did not find any prominent report published about underwater wind turbines off the coast of Norway.
In 2003, the prototype of a three-bladed underwater turbine was installed in Kvalsundet, Norway. It was known as the Kvalsund Tidal Turbine Prototype, also referred to as the HS 300. It was a 300 kW, 20-meter diameter, three-bladed horizontal-axis turbine. It operated for over 16,000 hours before being decommissioned in 2011.
We also found that Norway does have a farm of offshore wind turbines, but they are floating-type wind turbines — not deep underwater.
We found a video showing the wind farm Hywind Tampen on the Norwegian continental shelf. It is the world’s largest floating wind farm and the only wind farm providing power to oil and gas fields. The Gullfaks and Snorre fields are estimated to reduce CO₂ emissions by 200,000 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes of NOₓ emissions annually due to Hywind Tampen.
The wind farm consists of 11 wind turbines and has a system capacity of 88 MW. It is located about 140 km from shore, at water depths between 260 to 300 meters. Hywind Tampen is owned by the partners in the Snorre and Gullfaks fields: Equinor, Petoro, OMV, Vår Energi, Wintershall Dea, and INPEX Idemitsu Norge AS, and operated by Equinor from Bergen.
The main suppliers in the project are Siemens Gamesa, Aker Solutions, DOF, Seaway 7, Mammoet, Wergeland, JDR, and Wood Group, with a long list of other suppliers that have contributed to the project. The Norwegian share of the project is more than 60 percent, many of them well-known suppliers from the oil and gas industry. Now we’re truly building a new industry on the shoulders of oil and gas competence.
Therefore, the viral image does not show deep-water wind turbines built in Norway — it is an AI-generated image. The claim is false.
Claim : Viral image shows underwater wind turbines for energy production, developed and installed by Norway. These turbines are friendly to marine life.
Claimed By : Social media users
Claim Reviewed By : Telugupost Fact Check
Claim Source : Social media
Fact Check : False
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