Long-Term Wind Energy Production from Shallow Water Offshore Platforms Destined for Removal

This paper extends the previous studies (SNAME-ISSC-2022. OTC-24586-MS I OMC-2021) and focuses on the feasibility of repurposing shallow water offshore oil platforms for renewable energy generation using wind turbines. It is based on an economic analysis of installing wind turbines on platforms reaching the decommissioning stage. We focused on 23 platforms in POCSR and 180 platforms in the GOMR. The economic analysis included guidelines of the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) in 2023 published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). We used data for economic calculation from BOEM, BSEE, and NREL databases. The System Advisor Model (SAM) is used for techno-economic modeling. The capacity of wind turbines was considered under conservative, moderate, and advanced scenarios. CAPEX, OPEX, internal rate of return, interest rate, depreciation rate, tax rate, and project lifetime were considered in the economic analysis. LCOE is selected as the key economic to determine project economic viability. This paper demonstrates the importance of developing economic incentives for energy producer operators to decommission shallow water idle platforms by contributing to the development of renewable energy sources.