Green Volt on Track to Power UK Oil & Gas Platforms by Mid-2020s

February 9, 2023, by Adnan Durakovic

Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn have submitted a Marine Licence application for the Green Volt floating offshore wind farm.

This consent application could allow the project to start generating power in the mid-2020s, making it the most advanced oil and gas decarbonisation project in the UK, the developers said.

Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn are applying for a lease for Green Volt under the Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) round.

Located 80 kilometres east, offshore from Peterhead, Scotland, the Green Volt project will use up to 35 floating wind turbines to deliver 500 MW of renewable energy.

This project has the potential to generate enough green power to electrify all major oil and gas platforms in the Outer Moray Firth area. The project will also deliver renewable electricity to consumers across the UK.

Offering electrification from 2026, the Green Volt floating offshore wind farm is expected to enable oil and gas operators to play a critical role in the energy transition. The project will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas platforms, saving over a million tonnes of carbon each year.

”The Green Volt project will play a critical role in the electrification and decarbonisation of offshore oil and gas platforms in Scotland. We have been actively developing the project since 2020 and this consent application is a major milestone. It keeps us on track to deliver renewable power to the oil and gas sector by 2026,” Nicol Stephen, CEO of Flotation Energy, said.

”If these projects are not delivering green electricity to offshore facilities by the mid-2020s there is a real risk they will never happen. The prize is a very big one. The reduction in offshore carbon emissions will be enormous. As well as tackling climate change, the project will lead to billions of pounds of new investment and thousands of skilled jobs.”

Green Volt will support The North Sea Transition Deal’s goal to halve offshore emissions by 2030, as well as making a significant contribution to meeting Scotland’s 2045 Net Zero target, the companies said.

”The combination of our companies’ experience across floating offshore wind, large-scale renewable energy projects and working with the oil and gas industry is what lends unique strength to our Green Volt project,” Olav Hetland, CEO of Vårgrønn, said.

”If awarded the opportunity, we will bring green energy to the market swiftly while investing in building a local supply chain. To ensure we stand ready to deliver as quickly as possible if we succeed with our INTOG bid, we are applying for the Marine Licence for the project already now.”