A marriage of convenience or necessity? Research and policy implications for electrifying upstream petroleum production systems with renewables

Abstract

There is an attempt by conventional oil and gas companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through sustainability practices to maintain a position of relevance in a low-carbon energy future. One of such measures is the idea of upstream energy integration (or field electrification), yet emerging and in its nascency. The concept of energy integration is to electrify upstream petroleum production operations through renewables to reduce carbon intensity and mitigate process emissions. While this seems promising, its dynamics and wider ramifications remain unexplored in the scholarly literature. Drawing on the socio-technical transition theory and adopting a qualitative approach to energy systems analysis, this perspective type piece identifies and discusses the implications of the emerging trend of upstream energy integration. The analysis proceeds with three thematic parallels and five central motifs that potentially set research and policy framing agendas to complement existing energy governance frameworks. These include Process energy needs, Resources and materials sourcing, Embodied energy implications, Scalar deployment costing and Temporal dynamics for transition (the PREST framework).