Posted on June 3, 2021
The UK’s largest offshore decarbonisation development has been proposed to rapidly cut emissions.
Green infrastructure developer Cerulean Winds wants to accelerate the decarbonisation of oil and gas assets through an integrated 200-turbine floating wind and hydrogen development that would have the capacity to abate 20m tonnes of CO2 through simultaneous North Sea projects West of Shetland and in the Central North Sea.
Dan Jackson, founding director of Cerulean Winds, said: “We have a transformative development that will give the UK the opportunity to rapidly decarbonise oil and gas assets, safeguard many thousands of jobs and support a new green hydrogen supply chain.”
3GW per hour of capacity
The GB£10bn proposed project involves over 200 of the largest floating turbines at sites West of Shetland and in the Central North Sea with 3GW per hour of capacity, feeding power to the offshore facilities and excess 1.5GW per hour power to onshore green hydrogen plants; the ability to electrify the majority of current UKCS assets as well as future production potential from 2024 to reduce emissions well ahead of abatement targets; and 100% availability of green power to offshore platforms at a price below current gas turbine generation through a self-sustained scheme with no upfront cost to operators.
It also involves the development of green hydrogen at scale and GB£1bn hydrogen export potential; and no subsidies or CFD requirements and hundreds of millions of pounds to government revenue via leases and taxation through to 2030.
Cerulean has undertaken the necessary infrastructure planning for the scheme, targeting financial close in Q1 2022. Construction would start soon after with energisation commencing in 2024.
The venture is now calling on UK and Scottish governments to make an “exceptional” case to deliver an “extraordinary” outcome for the economy and the environment. A formal request for seabed leases has been submitted to Marine Scotland.
