The misguided electrification of offshore oil and gas platforms

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates the UK's oil and gas industry, is tasked with reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from UK operations.

The NSTA is advocating for the electrification of oil and gas platforms, essentially converting these offshore production sites from running on gas turbines to imported electricity from renewable sources like wind turbines.

However, Baxter points out in his article published in The Conversation that electrifying a platform does not tackle all of its emissions. While the NSTA estimates that an electrification campaign could save 1.2 million tonnes of CO₂ a year, this only amounts to just 0.3% of the country's yearly emissions, given that the UK emits greenhouse gases equivalent to around 420 million tonnes of CO₂ annually.

Baxter argues that electrifying offshore oil and gas platforms is a misguided use of taxpayer and industry money as it fails to address the wider picture. He suggests that the UK would cut far more CO₂ per pound spent if the billions earmarked for offshore electrification were directed at reducing the much larger carbon footprint from fossil fuel use instead. However, he acknowledges that shifting money from offshore electrification to abating fossil fuel use will not be straightforward.