Unlocking the UK Continental Shelf Electrification Potential for Offshore Oil and Gas Installations: A Power Grid Architecture Perspective

Most of the oil and gas installations in the UKCS have traditionally adopted in situ power generation, which is inefficient and generates about 70% of offshore CO² emissions.

To mitigate this, offshore wind and energy storage technologies for deep water are rapidly developing. This paper introduces a pathway for electrification of these installations. The aim is to provide different power architectures that facilitate electrification, while benefiting from the existing and planned UK offshore wind power.