Offshore energy infrastructure landscaping – UK and neighbouring waters

The offshore energy sector will be critical to the UK’s net-zero goals. This report has been produced by the IET to provide input on how we can better understand and coordinate our national interests in offshore energy. Written for developers, consultants, Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs), non-governmental organisations, coastal communities, local authorities, government, and regulators, we discuss the need for a more joined-up and holistic approach.

Following discussions with a number of stakeholders, who have approached us, it has become clear that most have very limited visibility of the multiple facets of the challenges we face, as we seek to deliver targets for offshore wind, interconnection, carbon capture, hydrogen production, marine energy projects, as well as managing our oil and gas legacy.

This report looks at the need for a more integrated approach for the deployment of offshore networks, as a key infrastructure enabler for net-zero. This is a preliminary landscaping report in the IET Lighthouse series considering the finite offshore resources, multiple users, co-ordination challenges, conflicting parallel regulations, regional imbalances, and the need to develop coordinated plans at pace while maintaining the momentum of current activities.

Without clear co-ordination (whether market, regulatory, stakeholder, economic etc.), the opportunity to maximise the benefits of all existing and emerging technologies in the transition to net-zero, will be constrained.

Published date: Mon 8 Mar 2021