Current research activities demonstrate that decarbonising each platform individually can be technically and economically challenging. The project introduces a new paradigm where large-scale hub facilities at sea deliver low-carbon heat and power to clusters of offshore oil and gas production facilities. The underlying idea is that centralising the heat and power generation has the potential to be an energy and cost-efficient solution.
Two main hub concepts will be considered. One is based on the integration of renewable energy sources with hydrogen as the main energy storage, and the other is based on compact carbon capture and storage solutions.
Relevant technologies will be investigated to pinpoint the most efficient solutions for supplying low-carbon heat and power to existing and/or planned offshore oil and gas clusters. The hub concepts based on the selected technologies will be developed and their performance assessed with respect to relevant case studies. The comprehensive assessment will cover energy, environmental and economic aspects.
A comparative analysis with alternative energy supply options – such as offshore electrification – will further put the hub concepts in perspective by highlighting their relative advantages and disadvantages.
Ultimately, the results will demonstrate the significant role that the CleanOFF Hub concept can play in taking the Norwegian Continental Shelf towards zero offshore emissions by 2050.
This is a Knowledge-building Project for Industry partly financed by the Research Council of Norway.