GREEN DECOMMISSIONING: RE-USE OF NORTH SEA OFFSHORE ASSETS IN A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE

摘要

The North Sea basin supplies around 60% of the energy demand of the EU and Norway. It is the powerhouse of Europe. The combination of the COP 21 EU pledge on reduction of CO2 emissions, decreasing nuclear power production and decreasing oil & gas production levels together, will result in a large transformation of this powerhouse. 600 platforms, 5,000 production wells and 10,000 km of pipelines will have to be dismantled because exploration and production of fossils fuels is ending. The estimated cost of this massive clean-up operation for the total North Sea is estimated to be somewhere between 28 - 39 billion euros. During the same period, renewable offshore wind capacity of the order of 50 -100 GW will be installed including transmission infrastructure. This requires parallel decommissioning and construction of energy infrastructure and huge concurrent investments and divestments. Are there alternatives that can reduce the cost to society whilst still enabling the realization of CO2 reduction targets? Using the North Sea and in particular the Dutch Continental Shelf as a case study, the presentation will look into the merits of reusing existing oil & gas infrastructure for sustainable energy production and transportation. What are the requirements and applicable technologies for successful reuse of oil & gas infrastructure and which business cases will most likely be the first to become interesting? Furthermore, the presentation provides a look at ways to decarbonize existing production platforms to prolong production in a cost effective and more sustainable way. Finally, the repurposing of existing jackets as artificial reefs will be presented as a green example of decommissioning.