North Sea oil rigs threatened with shutdown unless they start running on green electricity
By Paul Homewood
h/t Ian Magness
We might just as well shut down the North Sea now:
North Sea energy companies could be forced to close oil and gas fields or be prevented from opening new rigs unless they slash emissions.
Currently, more than 280 platforms extracting oil and gas from UK waters produce 3pc of the country’s total emissions, the equivalent of about 17 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
However, UK oil and gas fields also account for half of the country’s energy needs.
Despite this, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates the offshore sector, has told producers that they must convert platforms to run on green electricity or low-carbon fuels.
This means all new developments before 2030 must be designed to run on electricity, while all those after that must be fully electrified from the start.
Critics say the new demands will deliver a fatal blow to many of the older platforms operating around British shores.
Some date back to the 1970s or 1980s and would be hugely expensive to decarbonise.
For many, it would mean running power cables from the shore or building a wind farm close to each platform.
Stuart Payne, NSTA chief executive, said closing some low-producing, high-polluting installations earlier could be necessary to allow higher-producing and cleaner new assets to come online.
He said: “Energy production, reducing emissions and accelerating the energy transition are at the heart of everything we do.”
As always the Telegraph commentators are spot on:
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Comments are closed.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
The individual government departments/quangos do not seem to be working to any sort of master plan, hence OFGEM pushing time of day pricing the other day, after years of stating that smart meters will not increase the cost of utilities, now oilrigs must use green electricity, how crazy can you get?
My only conclusion is that climate activists have achieved senior positions in the climate change industry and are intent on achieving net zero irrespective of common sense.
There was once a time when we could demonstrate our annoyance with Government incompetence like this at the ballot box. Not now!🤬🤬
Why can’t you do that?
Why can’t you do that?
A vote for the opposition is a vote for the Millipede and his lunacy. A vote for Reform is – sadly, a potentially wasted, hollow gesture. So what do you suggest, then?
Why would voting for a non-legacy party be a potentially wasted, hollow gesture?
Every party has to start somewhere.
Possibly a bit late in the day, but if it can be done vote independent candidates.
Make the people who keep you alive use green (sic) energy to keep you alive.
Pure decadence.
“You wanna keep us alive? You are going to have to jump through these hoops to keep us alive!”
Paul:
Sadly the commentators under the Torygraph article are the usual hysterical, knee-jerk anti-green bunch. The actual NSTA announcement is worth reading carefully and in full.
https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/oga-plan-sharpens-focus-on-emissions-reduction/
As you know, I’m a committed climate alarmist sceptic, but I’ve also been in the oil industry for more than 50 years now, involved in the early exploration and development of Thistle, Beatrice (converted to power from shore in the 1980s!!) and Clyde fields.
IMHO It certainly doesn’t contain any retrospective requirements which will will result in a damaging loss of production. Admittedly, it represents a raising of standards towards those of Norway and may, marginally, affect the economics of certain developments. There will be trade-offs in terms of offshore facilities design and manning levels.
Of course, the biggest irony of all is where does this electricity come from? The UK electricity grid ……… powered by hydrocarbons. So, unless we’re not careful, all we’re doing is displacing offshore emissions to onshore and therefore the reductions will be nowhere nearly as great as claimed by the NSTA!
ATB & KBO – John
“Closing some low-producing, high-polluting installations earlier could allow higher producing and cleaner new assets to come online…”
Sorry but this is nonsense. We should close economic assets because thry are too expensive to convert to run on electricity? That can only make us poorer.
Yes. And how does it “allow?” They can’t come on unless the old ones go out?
And government closing installations cos reasons is going to kill new investment, anyway.
johnthorogood: is this measure likely to result in more gas being flared? I worked in petrochem a long time ago (Sullom Voe, St Fergus, Mossmorran) and have a vague memory that there is usually some associated gas which comes with oil. Iirc, that gas is used to provide power and heat with any excess being flared. Electrification will reduce the gas consumption, leaving more to be burnt off. It would be interesting to hear your expert view.
Sadly the CO2 lie seems to be unstoppable and this film explains why very well.
https://rumble.com/v4klh96-climate-the-movie-the-cold-truth.html
Left hand doesn’t know what right hand is doing. The government banned sales of CFD generated electricity to offshore installations on the grounds that they should not be subsidised by UK consumers. Subsidised exports, even at negative prices, are encouraged. So will they have to run cables to Norway’s Tampen floating wind farm to get round the restriction?
A chance to try wave energy?
‘The O&G sector appears as an interesting market to accelerate the development of wave energy projects.’
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196890419302419
Or to prove it’s not good enough 🤔
We have decades of proof already. Stupidity is doin the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.
Wave and current (tidal stream) energy has been has been tried on an experimental basis for years but as yet still remains to be proven commercially viable.
True, but offshore platforms are a niche market being in the sea with no access to the national grid, and limited ‘net zero’ options. There might even be government grants on offer 🤩
The Beatrice in the Inner Moray Firth was powered from shore. Several Norwegian platforms are powered from onshore, but admittedly the Nogs live in a different economic green world to the UK. Powering from onshore can be done, there are pros and cons with the economics.
Wave and tidal power has proved impossible to commercialise in sheltered waters round the Orkneys, the chances of success in the open ocean are even slimmer.
Who’s old enough to remember when Aunty’s ‘Tomorrows World’ puffed ‘Salter’s Duck’ as the answer to all our electricity needs?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salter%27s_duck
I find the geographical irony highly amusing. I have a cousin in Scotland who heats his home, hot water and cooks by a range burning “Household Doubles” that are actually banned in England and Wales. Worse still he has an open fire in the living room which he keeps alight overnight burning “Dross” (I think we call it “slack” in England) which was banned elsewhere decades ago.
So on mainland Scotland you can burn any old dross you fancy but you must be very “clean and green” in the North Sea off the coast. YCMIU
Yes indeed, and in the Cairngorms National Park, they are throwing OUT the Wood pellet ( Biomass) Boilers replacing with OIL.
Meanwhile we have oodles of acres of fallen timber which FEW landowners care enough to tidy up and use for fuel or Upcycling
It ain’t about caring but more about simple economics, it’ll cost far more to clear than they can sell it for.
Could all those trees (is it now 20 million) which have been felled in Scotland to make way for the windmills, not be made into pellets and sent to Drax instead of clear felling woodland in the Americas>
Then of course there are the ones you refer to still crumbling since the last storm – all useful fuel.
As a long retired North Sea Tiger, I treat this article with the contempt it deserves and leave it at that.
I apologize for the crudeness of this remark, but this sounds like putting chastity belts on hookers to make them virtuous.
Imagine an oil-rig converts to electricity, then switches on, forcing a fossil-fuel power station to increase its output (wind/solar cannot do increases).
But what the heck, North Sea oil is doomed anyway by 10 years of a Labour govt, just pray that they get a majority, avoiding going to bed with parties that would do the dooming quicker.
The report says t he platforms ar epolluting. I assume they are referring to CO2 which is not, of course, a pollutant.
A reader put a video link on BTL and it’s worth watching. He suggested from 12 minutes in to see how the UK is in a real mess. It also reveals yet more Tory duplicity on O&G windfall taxes, especially when compared to Norway.
If the commentator is right it’s yet another complete racket.
This video is definitely worth watching for the better-informed amongst you.
Piggy Boon
Jump to 12 minutes – to see why this country is so stuffed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tKOlT82yT0
I should add the link above is from Jeremy Warner’s latest piece, not the article linked by Paul.
Ofgem is pushing Britain into smart meter energy rationing oblivion (telegraph.co.uk)
Bbbbut… aren’t they providing the gas that the electricity generators will have to use to meet the increased demand of requiring them to use electricity?
Here is the UK government concerning itself about what is, on a global scale, an infinitesimal amount of emissions from a vitally important industry. Simultaneously, China are commissioning two new coal power plants each and every week. Latest figure I have seen is up to Jan 2024 at 3092 operating plants.
Seeing this mind blowing number I looked up some stats on our generating capacity. The Conservatives have been in power since 2010 over the intervening period they have overseen the closure of the following with virtually no replacements.
Coal: Cockenzie, Longannett, Aberthaw, West Burton A, Ruggeley, Cottam, Didcot A, Eggborough, Ferrybridge, Fiddlers Ferry, Ironbridge, 2 units at Drax and shortly Ratcliffe on Soar.
CCGT: Teeside, Rootcote
Oil: Fawley, Grain, Kingsnorth, Littlebrook.
Nuclear: Oldbury, Wylfa, Dungeness B, Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B
All in that is 35GW of despatchable generation and I have both probably missed some and not bothered to consider small/medium sized units. To put that in perspective, as I type, UK demand is actually slightly lower than the amount we have closed down and destroyed where possible.
And this bunch of idiots in charge think that worrying about a few oil rig emissions is important. Brain dead is far too polite a description.
And I have just noticed that Chinese data is a year out of date – probably over 3200 by now!
Ray, thanks.
I agree.
And China is burning 12,000,000 tonnes of coal a day.
Every day.
Yes, they have some solar [to better flog it to Western Nations, led by folk with Art degrees, I guess].
And wind [ditto].
And that amount of coal – perfectly burnt – means 44,000,000 tonnes of CO2 – each and every day.
Our ‘leaders’ – “Brain dead is far too polite a description.” Absolutely!
Auto
Exactly – our atmosphere is greatly in CO2 deficit – we should be emitting far more (as should nature) – NASA satellite imagery clearly shows the extent of global greening over the last 30 years as CO2 levels gently rise, great news for crop growth & global hunger prevention
Ray S; thanks for that list of plant closures – very useful info. Afaik there has been little new dispatchable capacity added in that timeframe: Drax biomass and about 4 GW of CCGT. So we have lost a net 29 GW.
Mike I actually didn’t include the Drax former coal units converted to biomass in the closures so the figure is actually 33GW!!! Madness
NSTA sound like another leftwaffe captured regulator – along with Ofgem and Ofcommie, they are on the long march with net zero idiocy
Trusting North Sea wind farms will likewise be threatened with shutdown unless they start running on green electricity!
Many offshore wind farms depend upon <b>diesel</b> gen-sets to keep their blades turning during lulls, to prevent their bearings from brinelling. And, to keep their safety beacons glowing steadily at night.
But, but, aren’t they connected to the mains by definition? I had to look, not that I doubt you – and blow me down we have this:
https://www.tridentenergy.co.uk/press-releases/trident-energy-releases-white-paper-on-auxiliary-power-for-offshore-wind-farms/
“Once the wind turbine is installed, further power is needed to provide lighting, heating, clean air systems and to turn over sensitive equipment. Typically, this power is provided by small diesel generators; the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, had a diesel generator located on each of its 175 turbines. If the connection to the onshore electricity grid is delayed then the diesels may need to provide continuous power for many months. The Riffgat wind farm off the German coast is fully installed apart from the grid connection, delayed for at least 2 years due to the discovery of munitions on the sea bed. This had led to unhelpful headlines such as “Windpark to nowhere … 22,000 litres of diesel burned each month to keep windpark from rusting away”.” (bold added)
That’s almost a story tip in itself! Then there’s this bunch:
https://priorpower.com/tackling-the-hidden-diesel-in-offshore-wind/
If that is in any way sensible it should be a thing for ships, trains and trucks. When can I have one for my car?
Pray tell me, how are they going to generate the electricity, wind and solar with massive battery banks? Such a wonderful energy source right there with modern efficient gas turbines….insanity..
Only in uk could a person with a degree in psychology and was an HR person be appointed head of the uk offshore energy division – unbelievable
David for the life of me I could not think who you would be talking about. Then the penny dropped – Stuart Payne. Unbelievable!