Crown Estates Scotland has announced that it has received 19 applications in total for its leasing process as part of its Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) offshore wind programme.
According to Crown Estates Scotland, the aim of the initiative is to help the oil and gas sector in the North Sea to decarbonise:
“…by supporting the building of wind farm projects connected to oil and gas infrastructure (TOG) providing electricity and will reduce the carbon emissions associated with oil and gas production. It will also allow for the development of small-scale (IN) innovative offshore wind projects of 100MW or less.”
The organisation, which is responsible for managing the monarch’s Scottish coastal and marine assets, said that industry’s significant interest indicates that there is considerable support for the initiative. There are 19 applications that are split between nine for the oil and gas TOG element, and 10 for the innovation IN element.
Major operators like BP, the maker of Castrol lubricant products, have plans to decarbonise their production platforms to reduce the emissions associated with oil production, so the TOG element could help them access clean power without having to build power links with the onshore grid. For example, Cerulean Winds has already said that it wants to install floating wind with a total capacity of 6 GW for this purpose.
The next stage is for Crown Estates Scotland to scrutinise the applications. By the end of April next year, it expects to announce that is has offered Exclusivity Agreements for successful projects in both the IN and TOG elements.
