Advancing Remote Operations – Phase 2 Project Outputs
At a glance
Widespread adoption of remote operations in the energy industry is critical to the UK’s ambitions for economic growth and carbon reduction. The Adavancing Remote Operations (ARO) project built strong foundations that will enable a more sustained intervention to drive adoption across the energy industry.
As the sector moves toward net zero, ARO sets out clear pathways for both brownfield and greenfield assets and highlights the UK’s potential to lead in remote operations. Its recommendations now inform the Digital Energy Nexus in Aberdeen, supporting commercialisation, skills development and long‑term industry adoption.
New to the project? Start with the ARO White Paper, which provides a concise overview of the project findings and the opportunities for remote operations across the offshore energy sector.
The ARO project is one of seven projects being delivered through NZTC’s Net Zero Technology Transition Programme (NZTTP), which was awarded £16.5 million from the Scottish Government’s Energy Transition Fund (ETF)
The Advancing Remote Operations project: Summary, lessons learned and the future of remote operations:
The ARO White Paper provides a concise overview of the project and its key findings.
Drawing together insights from research, technology assessments and field trials, the report summarises where remote operations are delivering value today and what is required to support wider adoption across the energy sector.
It outlines the main industry drivers, technology readiness, workforce implications and commercial considerations identified during the project, and highlights practical lessons from the ARO field trials.
Designed for a broad audience of industry leaders, decision-makers and practitioners, the white paper is the best starting point for understanding the outcomes of the ARO project and the opportunities for remote operations in offshore energy.
Advancing Remote Operations Playbook Phase 1 Update (2025)
The Advancing Remote Operations Playbook (2025 Update) builds on the original Phase 1 playbook and provides an updated guide to implementing remote operations within offshore energy organisations.
The playbook explores the industry drivers for remote operations and outlines the key foundations required to enable adoption, including technology infrastructure, commercial models, workforce considerations and organisational change.
It provides practical guidance for operators and supply chain companies seeking to understand how remote operations can be introduced and scaled within their operations.
Advancing Remote Operations Technology Playbook
The ARO Technology Playbook provides a detailed technical assessment of the technologies that enable remote operations across offshore energy assets.
The playbook reviews a wide range of digital and operational technologies, assessing their maturity, use cases and potential value across different asset types including brownfield oil and gas facilities, new offshore developments, offshore wind assets and carbon capture and storage infrastructure.
It also explores the technical and regulatory considerations that influence adoption, providing a practical reference for organisations evaluating how remote operations technologies can be applied within their operations.
ETF Advancing Remote Operations: Industry Field Trial Report
This report presents the findings from the ARO Digital Twin Field Trial, which explored how high-resolution laser scanning and digital twin workflows can support remote engineering and planning activities.
The trial demonstrated how inspection-grade digital models can enable remote planning, engineering verification and fabrication support without requiring repeated offshore visits.
The report summarises the trial methodology, technical results and operational lessons, highlighting how digital twins can improve efficiency while reducing offshore exposure and associated emissions.
Skyports Drone Services: Offshore Wind Drone Delivery – Project Summary
The Drone Delivery Field Trial tested the use of unmanned aerial systems to deliver equipment and materials to offshore wind turbines.
The trial demonstrated the technical feasibility of drone logistics in offshore environments and assessed how this approach could reduce the need for crew transfer vessel journeys.
The report outlines the operational testing undertaken, the technical performance achieved and the potential benefits for safety, cost efficiency and emissions reduction.
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Alex
Macdonald
Technology Manager
Alex Macdonald
Alex Macdonald is a strategic digital transformation leader with a track record of project delivery and turning ideas into value through innovative technology development. As Digital Technology Manager at Net Zero Technology Centre, Alex has strong expertise in digital transformation, remote operations, digital worker, and project delivery. He has played a key role in the design and development of all NZTC Digital strategies and roadmaps with ownership of the Smart Asset and Field Automation theme. Alex developed the successfully funded business case for the Advancing Remote Operations (ARO) project, leading it to phase 2.
With a career spanning over two decades, Alex has worked internationally across industries, including offshore and onshore operations, helping people and organisations adopt new digital solutions and improve their operations. Known for a practical and results-driven approach, Alex combines technical knowledge with leadership skills and a personal approach to deliver meaningful outcomes for teams and businesses.
Actively involved in industry leadership programmes, Alex is Better Business Case accredited, a Certified Training Practitioner and holds a BSc in Computing & Information from Robert Gordon University.
Graeme
Booth
Head of Digital Technology
Graeme Booth
Graeme Booth has 30 years of experience in senior positions within aerospace, power, and energy industries, integrating digital solutions with engineering. He has extensive experience across the product lifecycle, applying data analytics, digital simulation and energy system modeling to drive innovation and support decision-making.
As Head of Digital Technology at the Net Zero Technology Centre, Graeme leads the digital strategy and technology roadmap to enable the energy transition. He is currently focussed on establishing a Digital Centre of Excellence focussed on accelerating adoption of digital technology and advises on the wider NZTC digital portfolio. Prior to NZTC he was Chief Engineer for Digital Technology for two multinational organisations (gas turbines and energy).
Graeme holds a BEng in Aeronautical Engineering from Glasgow University, is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, is co-chair of the Common Data Toolkit within the NSTA Digital Strategy Group and a member of the Technology Leadership Board Digital Workstream.
Kevin
Gallagher
Kevin Gallagher
Watch the webinar replay to hear from a panel of digital experts
In this webinar, NZTC’s Graeme Booth and Kevin Gallagher are joined by Lee Hunter from Bureau Veritas to share insights, discuss the tools and evidence developed through the project, and explain how they can be applied in practice across the sector.