Transforming Oil & Gas For Offshore Wind

Let's talk about repurposing oil and gas infrastructure for offshore wind power. It's a promising way to use existing resources for renewable energy. This can include using offshore rigs or pipelines for wind turbines. Plus, it's a cost-effective solution compared to building new infrastructure from scratch. By repurposing, we can create a more sustainable energy source while also reducing waste. It's a win-win for the environment and the economy.

The drive for green energy is getting faster. This means that oil and gas projects could become stranded assets. People worry about this. The world is working towards being net-zero. But there is a way to fix this problem. We can use the fossil fuels infrastructure for offshore wind power. This will make oil and gas platforms useful again. It will also help renewable energy operators save money.

Oil and gas industry has dominated global energy for years, leading to offshore infrastructure installation. This includes platforms, rigs, pipelines, subsea cables, and modules for hydrocarbon extraction. As assets reach end-of-life phase, decommissioning has led to plugging and abandonment of wells and removal of equipment. Transition to green sources is sweeping the energy sector, and some fossil fuels projects may end sooner.

Energy prices went up due to the Ukraine crisis, so many countries started looking for more gas and oil. However, people are still pushing for low-carbon and renewable energy sources. Some want to ban new oil and gas projects and stop using fossil fuels altogether. Tuvalu supports a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2022, following Vanuatu's earlier call for it.

Oil and gas energy will go down and renewable energy like wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear, and marine energy will go up by 2050. The International Renewable Energy Agency thinks solar and wind power will be the most popular. They'll be used mainly for making electricity.

The oil and gas infrastructure may become stranded assets. Decommissioning has a high price and environmental factors. The energy transition cannot be stopped. There are alternatives to removing the infrastructure. It can be converted for a new purpose. Offshore wind energy can be harvested.

Six months ago, this blog section was posted.

Many countries want to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Jime Braga, Thauan Santos, Milad Shadman, Corbiniano Silva, Luiz Filipe Assis Tavares, and Segen Estefen suggest using renewable energy sources to repurpose offshore oil and gas infrastructures. This could create a greener economy and benefit offshore wind energy.

The O&G supply chain can help lower costs of offshore wind projects by one-third. This is because wind farms near O&G operations can electrify them, eliminating the need for gas or diesel generators. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants, and aids in the energy transition. Braga, Santos, Shadman, Silva, Tavares, and Estefen explained this in their article.

They say using wind power can be economically viable. They suggest a joint venture project. This would prolong decommissioning, and it's both technically viable and environmentally acceptable. This project represents a transition to a clean and sustainable blue energy economy. It combines wind energy and the oil industry.

Lots of people think that using alternatives instead of decommissioning offshore oil and gas installations has benefits. Alternatives let you keep using the same spot instead of moving structures. That way you don't cause as much harm to the underwater environment. People are working hard to reduce the amount of carbon we're putting out.

Braga, Santos, Shadman, Silva, Tavares, and Estefen think that converting oil and gas structures is good because: - It creates a barrier that stops full removal and disposal. - It makes more money for the project. - It increases energy replacement gain. - It lowers costs for renewable energy plants.

It's important to think about emissions when postponing or decommissioning things. If we manage to make industries less carbon-intensive in the future, getting rid of facilities later on will create less emissions. This means there will be less GHG emissions overall and we can delay releasing carbon into the air. Braga, Santos, Shadman, Silva, Tavares, and Estefen said this.

Hydrogen is important for reducing pollution in sectors that are hard to clean up. Oil and gas equipment can be reused for hydrogen production, like a drill rig from Borr Drilling that was turned into a green hydrogen producer. This project, called Haldane, is a collaboration between Borr Drilling, Aquaterra Energy, and Lhyfe to create a big offshore hydrogen production process with an electrolyser on the drill rig.

Blog section written one year ago.

This idea gives a new way to use things like jack-up drilling rigs for making green hydrogen instead of oil and gas. This can help remote offshore wind projects work better. Some people suggest using offshore wind projects instead of getting rid of old oil and gas stuff.

The proposal uses research findings. They show that wind power projects have a big discount rate for CapEx. This can offset decommissioning costs. It can also reduce carbon emissions. It can increase local employment rates. They do this by repurposing offshore oil and gas infrastructures.

It's getting popular to push for low-carbon energy. To help with that, people are looking at repurposing the oil and gas infrastructure for offshore wind and hydrogen. Doing this seems to be good for the environment. It can also help with creating jobs and supporting social development. Plus, it helps with decarbonisation.

Some people named Braga, Santos, Shadman, Silva, Tavares, and Estefen think that comparing solar energy and wind farms to old offshore oil and gas fields could help renewable energy grow. They say this could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It might also create a conversation between fossil fuels and renewable energy.

Using offshore structures for wind energy can be a good idea for old oil and gas rigs. Transocean and Eneti said they plan to work together to set up a company to install wind foundations. They signed an agreement to make this happen.

This team-up needs a proper deal before it can happen. The deal will change two Transocean drilling vessels into platforms for offshore wind foundations. The vessels will be upgraded with a big crane and the ability to carry six large foundations.