The OGA is to hold a workshop on 23 March 2021 entitled 'West of Shetland Renewable Power Workshop – Power to Offshore Oil and Gas developments'.
The workshop will include representatives from:
- Owners of greenfield oil and gas developments in the West of Shetland (WoS) region of the North Sea,
- Oil and gas regulators
- Wind power and electricity regulators
- The power sector
The objectives of this workshop are:
- To share learnings from the regulators on energy transition, on the approach of regulators in offshore/onshore wind for potential power supply to oil and gas developments
- To brief regulators on the key objectives of the ORION WoS Electrification work group and to discuss specific WoS technical issues
- To offer an opportunity for onshore and offshore renewable power suppliers to initiate a collaborative effort to identify solutions, share potential solutions and approaches to provide renewable power to greenfield oil and gas facilities with the aim of substantially reducing CO2 emissions.
The electrification of oil and gas platforms has been identified as a significant energy transition opportunity on the path to delivering net zero in 2050, as highlighted by the OGA’s UKCS Energy Integration Report, published in August 2020. Platform electrification may unlock the faster growth of renewables, expansion of offshore transmission infrastructure, and establishment of floating wind power technologies in the UK, contributing to offshore renewables’ 75GW capacity ambitions by 2050.
This workshop continues the OGA’s efforts to catalyse electrification across the UKCS, following on from similar Central North Sea workshops held in 2020.