Decarbonizing FPSO Operations in West Africa by Offshore Wind Energy

The tropical waters of West Africa is a top growth region for floating, production, storage and offloading units (FPSO) deployment and is the home to approximately one-quarter of the world's operating FPSOs. This study shows that a typical FPSO operating in this region with a nameplate oil production capacity of 60,000 bbl/d may emit as much as 0.8 Mtpa CO2. Therefore, the aggregate of CO2 emission from FPSOs operating in West Africa can reach as much as 40 Mtpa. The urgent need to decarbonize FPSO operations will soon become a license-to-operate issue due to the world's aspiration to achieve net-zero around the middle of the century. This study further shows that in the context of West Africa, offshore wind energy is probably the most mature and impactful technology to decarbonize FPSO operations at a water depth less than 130 m. Current technology gaps include adaptation to low wind speeds, robust power cable design, design of on/off strategy to switch between deck boilers and wind turbines, and extension of floating substructures to water depth exceeding 130 m.