Two Publications on Offshore Wind and Electrification of Oil and Gas Platforms
Governments and oil and gas companies aim to electrify oil and gas production on the continental shelf as quickly as possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Three members of the research group have recently written articles addressing the issues raised by this framework.
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Postdoctoral fellow Siv Elén Årskog Vedvik has authored the article "Hurtigløp for elektrifisering av sokkelen med havvind? Handlerom og hindringar i dagens regelverk” (English: ‘Fast-track for Electrification of the Continental Shelf with Offshore Wind? Spaces and Obstacles in Current Regulations.’) She provides a brief overview of the topic she addresses:
"The Norwegian government aims to electrify oil and gas production on the continental shelf as quickly as possible, with a focus on utilizing offshore wind power. However, establishing offshore wind farms typically requires that the area be open for such development and undergo a competitive bidding process for allocation. These are time-consuming processes, and the question raised in the article is to what extent exemptions in maritime law can expedite electrification projects to obtain permits."
The article by Associate Professor Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui and Associate Professor II Rudiger Tscherning is titled "Offshore oil and gas infrastructure electrification and offshore wind: a legal exploration." Like Vedvik, the authors shed light on regulatory pathways and obstacles for electrifying offshore oil and gas facilities using offshore wind energy.
Herrera Anchustegui and Tscherning discuss the rationale for electrification projects in a climate change context and analyze current and planned developments in Norway and Atlantic Canada, examining key factors in determining the legal nature of various electrification project models. They also propose solutions to identify the likely legislative and regulatory frameworks that will apply in the future.
Vedvik's article is available on lovdata through this link. Herrera Anchustegui and Tscherning's research article can be accessed freely via this link.
