Mon 24 Sep 2018 by David Foxwell
Gas platforms and offshore windfarms could work together to maximise gas production and renewable electricity generation offshore, according to a report from the Oil and Gas Authority in the UK.
The concept of gas-to-wire (GTW) involves using the gas produced from gas fields to generate electricity offshore and then transmit it to shore via spare capacity in subsea cables used for offshore windfarms.
“Due to the intermittence of wind, annual use of the associated power infrastructure is typically 40%. This spare capacity presents an alternative route for electricity generated offshore from gas fields or even from undeveloped discoveries and stranded gas resources,” said the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA).
“By installing offshore power generation facilities, operators could export electricity via established windfarm infrastructure instead of exporting gas to shore by pipeline. As a relatively flexible and fast responding form of power generation, it could play a useful role in balancing the electricity grid as supply and demand fluctuates.”
You can read the full report at Offshore Wind Journal.