A new forum led by the Crown Estate has been launched to solve the challenges and opportunities related to offshore wind and carbon capture and storage co-locations.
With the development of the two sectors, it has been identified that they might have to use the same locations for their infrastructure. As suitable space on the seabed is limited, that might prove to be a problem for offshore wind and CCS to scale up their development to meet the world’s decarbonization targets.
Crown Estate’s forum unites the offshore wind and carbon capture and storage (CCS) industries including the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA), the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) and RenewableUK along with Crown Estate Scotland.
The forum aims to provide strategic coordination of co-location research and activity and help maximize the potential of the seabed for these two critical sectors. The forum’s goal is also to provide knowledge and evidence to enable CCS and offshore wind in delivering innovative, world-class solutions for emissions reduction.
It is also a response to the recommendations of the CCUS & Offshore Wind overlap study, examining the risks that may result from the deployment of offshore wind and CCUS projects in similar locations.
The Carbon Capture Forum Seen As A Success Story For The UK
One of the central recommendations of the study is the formation of an oversight body to coordinate future activity in the seabed area. According to the Crown Estate, defining and shaping workstreams and activities centered on resolving technical, operational, and regulatory overlap issues are the forum’s first priorities.
“As the UK prepares to host COP26 later this year, it is vital that we work together to bring forward all solutions that will be needed to solve the climate crisis…Offshore wind is already a UK success story and through initiatives such as this forum, we can develop the framework that will bring forward CCUS projects in line with the Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget,” said Olivia Powis, head of UK’s Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA).
The forum is bringing together two industries that are critical for CO2 removal and decarbonizing the economy, fostering collaboration, and resolving any issues regarding co-locations. Maximizing the potential of the seabed seems to be a challenging matter for the deployment of the activities of the two sectors.
