Southern North Sea Oil & Gas Asset Electrification Study

In the context of the energy transition and in line with net zero targets, there is an incentive for action from the oil and gas industry to decarbonise.

In 2019, 74% of CO2 emissions in the UKCS came from power generation offshore; primarily due to process gas being utilised for this purpose. Reducing the requirement for process gas usage through electrification could provide significant reductions for UK targets of decarbonisation, whilst the potential introduction of a carbon tax provides commercial incentive for measures to be implemented.

This study seeks to determine the potential to provide electrification to an oil and gas platform, using the Cygnus platform complex in the Southern North Sea as a case study. The Cygnus platforms are surrounded by a high number of offshore wind farms at varying stages of development, with over 14GW due to be commissioned by 2030 within a 100km radius of Cygnus. At present, there is no proposed access to any of the power generated by offshore wind farm developments for any oil and gas platform within the vicinity. Four options have been identified that offer an opportunity for providing electrification to the Cygnus platforms: