The OGA has released a short presentation from the Offshore Wind Conference, recently held in Aberdeen (October 2019). It presents some useful facts and figures, with focus on the possible synergies between offshore wind and oil and gas. “Gas-to-Wire” is one of the five energy integration technologies being studied.
• There are 6.3TCF 2P reserves and 4.7TCF 2C (contingent) resources on the UKCS
• Gas2Wire is a local opportunity to develop stranded resources and/or extend assets’ life
• It can support wind power (infrastructure sharing and market rate opportunities) – with significant overlaps in SNS/EIS
• It is deployable in the short-term – based on mature technology (full suite of electrical infrastructure, including open cycle gas turbines)
It is noticeable that the OGA chose to emphasise the short-term potential of Gas2Wire. This is not surprising to us, as alternative initiatives can require considerable investment, with potential outcomes and benefits still uncertain. We recognise that Gas2Wire has both ‘stand-alone’ potential (that is economic benefits without utilising the wind farm networks) and ‘combined’ potential (that is through combining with wind farm infrastructure). We see the faster route is likely via a ‘standalone’ project, but opportunities lie in both domains.