The Potential of Integrating Wind Power with Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms

Abstract

Offshore wind technology has developed rapidly and an offshore wind farm has the potential to power nearby offshore platforms in the future. This paper presents a case study of integrating a 20 MW wind farm which addressed the theoretical challenges of integrating large wind turbines into a stand-alone oil and gas platform grid. Firstly, the operational benefits of the 20 MW wind power integration were quantitatively assessed with regard to the fuel gas consumption and CO2/NOx emissions reduction. Secondly, the electrical grid stability after integration of the 20 MW wind power was tested by nine dynamic simulations that included: motor starts, loss of one gas turbine, loss of all wind turbines and wind speed fluctuations. Thirdly, the maximum amount of the wind power available for integration was identified by simulating critical operational conditions and comparing these to the governing standards. Integration of an offshore wind farm to an oil and gas platform is theoretically possible, but has not been proven by this study and many other operational and economic factors should be included in future feasibility studies.