Crown Estate Scotland has today confirmed that 19 applications have been made for its innovation and targeted oil and gas (INTOG) offshore wind leasing process.
It said this level of interest from industry demonstrates "significant" support for this "exciting" new opportunity.
INTOG will help to decarbonise the North Sea oil and gas sector by supporting the building of wind farm projects connected to oil and gas infrastructure.
These projects will provide electricity and reduce the carbon emissions associated with oil and gas production.
INTOG will also allow for the development of small-scale innovative offshore wind projects of 100MW or less.
Crown Estate Scotland will now assess the applications.
Offers by April
The offer of exclusivity agreements for projects is anticipated to be announced by the end of April 2023.
Crown Estate Scotland said that, to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, Scotland will need innovations in offshore wind which go beyond current technologies - so creating opportunities for developers to test new ideas is crucial.
Decarbonising oil and gas installations will also play an important role in the transition to net-zero.
Crown Estate Scotland added that power generation for oil and gas infrastructure in the UK, which comes primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, generates emissions equivalent to about the same amount generated by electricity use in nine million homes.
- It emerged last night that Ping Petroleum is pressing ahead with plans to develop the Avalon field in the UK North Sea, which has been hailed by bosses as a "pioneering scheme" to slash production emissions..
Energy Voice says the Malaysian-headquartered operator has handed in plans to the UK Government for the project, estimated to recover 23million barrels of oil equivalent.
Ping is developing Avalon in partnership with Cerulean Winds, which will provide a wind turbine to help power the Excalibur production vessel.
In a deal signed earlier this year, Cerulean said the development option means 20,000 tonnes of CO2 will be removed annually - the equivalent of 4,000 cars taken off the road.
In an environmental statement to the UK regulator, Ping said this is "consistent" with UK and Scottish government goals and will help "maintain energy security whilst meeting net-zero targets".
15 years of production
Ping said Avalon is expected to produce hydrocarbons for 15 years, with first oil expected in Q3 of 2025.
The project, 95 miles off Aberdeen in the Outer Moray Firth, is then expected to see installation of its turbine 12-18 months later.
At this point, it is expected that produced gas from Avalon will no longer be sufficient to power the production vessel, and the turbine will then meet up to 70% of power requirements.
Ping recently confirmed it expects to take a key final investment decision on Avalon next year, though this is subject to regulatory approval first.