Effective Concepts for Supplying Energy to a Large Offshore Oil and Gas Area under Different Future Scenarios

Abstract

Different possibilities were assessed to supply energy to a large offshore oil and gas area in the North Sea. The concepts studied involved: (i) onsite power generation by means of simple gas turbine cycles, (ii) full electrification of the plants with power taken from the onshore grid, and (iii) a hybrid solution where power can be either generated onsite or taken from the onshore grid. The analysis included 37 y of the facilities’ lifetime and was based on process simulations of the various concepts. The effect of the offshore area electrification was simulated through a model of the power system. The integration of process and power system modelling contributes to the originality and completeness of the analysis. The environmental impact of the concepts was evaluated in terms of cumulative CO2 emissions. The relative economic cost was also assessed to provide a complete picture. The results showed that the advantage of a specific concept over the others was significantly influenced by the future energy policies and the magnitude of the initial investment cost.