Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – Two energy technology and innovation organizations in Britain have entered a five-year collaboration.
They aim to further development of next-generation energy technologies and speed up the UK’s transition to a net zero future.
The Energy Transition Alliance (ETA), formed by The Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, will work with the energy industry on a funded program focused on technologies including hydrogen production and floating offshore wind.
The five initial projects are:
- A UK supply chain-specific floating wind foundation competition, intended to stimulate innovation in floating wind and cut the cost of floating foundations by 25-30%
- AC/DC footprint miniaturization: developing a prototype AC/DC conversion technology that reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), occupying a footprint 10 times smaller and five times cheaper than existing technologies, delivering £7.7 billion ($9.77 billion) in savings to industry
- Power from shore: cost-cutting technologies including cross-operator projects, and helping the industry eliminate offshore platform CO2e emissions which currently represent 2% of the UK’s total CO2e emissions
- UK offshore renewables supply chain deep dive study: maximizing the potential of the UK supply chain in the production, installation and decommissioning of offshore renewables, and creating 27,000 jobs in offshore wind by 2030
- Sustainable wind turbine decommissioning: developing a solution for cost-effective recycling and re-processing of wind turbine blades, expected to bring $1 billion in value to the market.
Paul Wheelhouse, Scotland’s Energy Minister said: “This new alliance strongly complements the Scottish government’s recently launched £62-million Energy Transition Fund, designed to support our energy sector and help us move more quickly towards net zero by 2045.
“The establishment of the alliance also supports the work of our Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council to grow supply chain opportunities as we approach the forthcoming ScotWind leasing round.
“The technologies supported by the alliance will boost digitalization and automation and accelerate North Sea decarbonisation as well as supporting Scotland’s aspirations for offshore wind and floating wind.”
Colette Cohen, OGTC CEO, added: “The creation of the Energy Transition Alliance comes at a pivotal time for our industry and the future of the North Sea as we transition to a net zero basin. Technology, innovation and a willingness to work cross sector will be essential if we are to successfully deliver on our net zero goal.”
The UK government created ORE Catapult in 2013, and it is now said to be the UK’s leading innovation center for offshore renewable energy, with operations in Glasgow, Blyth, Levenmouth, Aberdeen, the Humber, the East of England, the South West and Wales, and operating a collaborative research partnership in China.
07/22/2020
