Developer plans North Sea wind turbine network to provide power for oil rigs

An offshore wind developer says it plans to build hundreds of floating turbines in the central North Sea which will power oil and gas rigs.

Cerulean Winds says that the project will lead to a “North Sea renewables grid”, allowing platforms to plug in for renewable electricity.

It will consist of three large sites in the central North Sea, each of which could produce several gigawatts of electricity.

These would allow oil and gas rigs access to a cleaner alternative for their own power supply.

Cerulean Winds says the plan could ultimately become one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects, worth about £20 billion.

Dan Jackson, founding director of Cerulean Winds, said: “The oil and gas sector is wrestling with the challenges of meeting the North Sea Transition Deal emissions reduction targets whilst supporting UK energy security.

“We recognise that to achieve meaningful reductions at the pace required, a reliable basin-wide approach is needed that they can plug into when they are ready to for affordable power.

“Early oil and gas electrification supports the country’s energy security, net-zero action and delivers huge benefits to the supply chain and economy, creating 10,000 jobs.

“With our partners we will accelerate access to green power and provide the infrastructure for the next phase of the North Sea’s life.”