Cost-efficient emissions reductions of up to 87% on offshore oil and gas platforms could be achieved using alternative power sources.
This is according to the winners of a competition launched to accelerate electrification of oil and gas assets in the North Sea.
Industry regulator the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) yesterday published the full reports of the three winners of the platform electrification contest launched last September.
The competition was funded by £1million provided by the UK Government as part of the North Sea Transition Deal signed by the UK Government and the oil and gas industry in 2021.
The offshore sector has committed to reduce offshore emissions by 50% in 2030.
The NSTA is working with industry representatives to progress prospective electrification projects, including those in the central North Sea and west of Shetland.
It is also working with the Government and Regulators Electrification Group on the wider policy and regulatory enablers that will also need to be in place.
Innovative solutions
The electrification competition was intended to bring innovative solutions for electrification by supporting the work of oil-and-gas companies, wind-power developers and leading technology suppliers.
The NSTA said the three winning studies all made strong arguments in favour of cross-industry synergies, with electrification projects collectively opening up two to four gigawatts of wind-power opportunity across the UK Continental Shelf.
The studies - by Orcadian Energy and Partners, Orsted and Neptune Energy, and Katoni Engineering - demonstrated concepts which do not require power from shore, instead creating standalone power systems using renewable power, which can be easily complemented by power cables from onshore.
The NSTA reported that these solutions suggest emissions reductions of 78%-87% are achievable, and highlight the importance of robust, yet cost-effective power-distribution systems offshore.
These power distribution facilities (or micro-grids) integrate different power sources with multiple offshore users, ensuring power continuity whilst minimising cost of modifications on the receiving platforms - reducing electrification costs.
Scott Robertson, NSTA director of operations, said: "Platform electrification is a vital part of cutting emissions in the North Sea and reaching net-zero. Each of these projects contains useful, innovative thinking and we expect industry to look at these ideas, and others, as electrification projects start to become reality in the next few years."