Commissioned by The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland on behalf of the Offshore Wind and Carbon Capture and Storage Co-location Forum, the report focuses on the East Irish Sea and the Outer Moray Firth, areas where co-location issues have the potential to arise.
Adrian Topham, Senior Technology Manager, CCS & Hydrogen at The Crown Estate, said, “The necessary role of carbon capture and storage in decarbonising hard to abate industries and supporting the UK’s net zero targets is well-known. As we look out at an increasingly busy seaspace towards 2050, opportunities for the co-location of different sectors – in this case CCS and offshore wind, which is a vital component of our clean energy transition – must be explored and presented.
“This study has shown the challenges of co-locating these two important sectors but also identified the opportunities which exist to make it work. Proactive and holistic planning will be paramount to success, and our collaborative Marine Delivery Routemap tool will be key in these efforts to dynamically model and map potential seabed scenarios over coming decades.”
The 300-page Project Colocate report sets out a series of key findings. The challenges presented by colocation are investigated:
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Monitoring of CCS sites is technically challenging near wind farms: Conventional seismic surveys are generally incompatible with accepted turbine layouts. While other technologies may offer partial solutions, ocean floor seismic can offer a practical alternative as costs reduce.
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Drilling and maintenance access is limited: The spacing of wind turbines could restrict access by drilling rigs for CCS well remediation, if needed. Helicopter access also requires consideration.
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Cross-sector co-ordination is required: Legacy oil and gas wells will need to be fully decommissioned before CCS begins. Future oil and gas wells should avoid production from the same reservoirs being used for carbon storage.
The report also identifies how careful planning and collaboration can assist in the delivery of UK climate goals and in minimising delays:
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Co-location opportunities: Sharing of environmental baseline, site survey and pressure data and joint vessel mobilisations can provide cost-efficiencies for all.
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Proactive planning: While the creation of new overlaps should ideally be avoided, technical workarounds can assure monitoring where project overlaps already exist.
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Integrated regulatory coordination: There is an opportunity for increased alignment and coordination across the leasing and licensing frameworks for offshore wind, CCS and oil and gas to minimise future conflicts and delays.
“Offshore wind and CCS are vital elements in decarbonising the UK’s energy systems to reduce emissions. Repurposing offshore waters brings spatial challenges as multiple stakeholders share the sea floor, where wind and carbon storage projects are located close to each other and to oil and gas production,” said principal researcher Professor John Underhill, Director of the Centre for Energy Transition and Professor of Geoscience at the University of Aberdeen.
“Our study shows the crucial importance of early communication, coordinated operations and adapting monitoring methods to mitigate colocation risks. As new infrastructure leads to offshore waters becoming busier, integrated planning and regulatory alignment will be key to ensuring project viability and accelerating the UK’s decarbonisation. Ultimately, co-location between wind, carbon stores and oil and gas operations is possible but not preferable due to the issues it presents for monitoring subsurface stores, insurance, indemnity, access and costs.”
Project Colocate was commissioned by The Offshore Wind and CCS Colocation Forum, chaired by The Crown Estate. The report presents the independent findings of University of Aberdeen researchers Dr Nigel Platt, Dr Sam Head and Professor John Underhill at the University’s Centre for Energy Transition and Interdisciplinary Institute.