Oil & Gas
Decarbonisation

 CTS supports the decarbonisation of Oil and Gas sector by allowing to power platforms operation from sustainable energy sources

Europe-wide offshore oil and gas industry targets are 50% CO2 reduction by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.

Electricifcation of the North Sea

Orcadian Energy, 2022

In Europe, Oil and Gas companies are being given targets by governments to decarbonise power supply for Offshore Production Platforms and other related gas engines by reducing today’s CO2 emissions by up to 80%.

In the UK sector of the North Sea, all but a few offshore production platforms are decades old, are congested with equipment and are well-progressed through their field life. Modifications at this stage are complex and most often expensive limiting the allowance for new equipment and further modifications is a significant challenge.

While working with partners we proposed a Microgrid concept for a low-carbon, reliable, off-grid option for powering North Sea platforms. CTS cable solution is one of the key-enabling technologies to develop future offshore Microgrids to supply platforms by low carbon sources. 

Analysis indicates that emissions will be reduced by up to 80% against today’s numbers and the cost for power delivery will be 25% lower than if powered from the shore.

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Map of North Sea Oil & Gas fields

Source: WIKIMEDIA, 2022

Benefits of CTS for Oil & Gas

CTS has a significantly lower voltage drop along its length allowing connections with greater distances and at potentially lower transmission voltage or with less copper

Operation at lower voltages and elimination of additional compensation allows lighter equipment requirements on the existing platform, reducing the transition costs of decarbonisation

CTS-enabled offshore AC systems are also more flexible and enables the creation of an offshore network connected to shore or operated as island mini grid

Lower use of copper and other materials preserves environment that could be damaged by mining and processing of minerals

CTS cable is a self-compensating cable and reduces or eliminates the requirement to cope with the large reactive power load when using a large percentage of rotating power equipment, typical for oil and gas extraction

Offshore CTS cable can cost-effectively deliver power by AC avoiding more expensive DC systems and challenging to maintain HVDC converters

CTS cable can deliver the same power through across-section, reducing cable costs and CO2 emissions by up to 30%

Three components to the Microgrid concept

  1. Wind farms distributed around platforms
  2. Distribution hubs collecting AC power from the wind farms and energy-efficient gas fired engines operated when the wind is low
  3. A network of CTS cables to deliver power from wind farms to the operators’ platforms.
SOURCE: ORCADIAN, 2022