With our increasingly busy seabed, how do we ensure that multiple offshore projects can coexist and support the build out of renewables and carbon dioxide storage alongside existing oil and gas activities, to deliver economic growth and energy security? Project Anemone explored the opportunities and challenges associated with this question.  

Sponsored by the Offshore Wind and Carbon Capture and Storage Colocation Forum as part of the Forum’s work on co-location and by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), and originally conceived by Decarb Scotland (formerly NECCUS), Project Anemone was delivered by a partnership of OEUK, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC) and Decarb Scotland. Through interviews and focused workshops with developers, regulators, seabed managers and industry bodies the project explored the challenges and opportunities associated with offshore colocation of carbon storage (CS), offshore wind (OSW) and oil and gas (O&G) activities.  

A key message from the project findings is that colocation is seen as achievable, as long as uncertainty is reduced early and relevant parties have sufficient visibility, time and clarity to engage. Developers expressed a strong view that most colocation challenges can be overcome, particularly where there is sufficient forward planning and where technical and operational issues are identified before projects are locked into specific designs, consenting commitments or investment.

The report is hosted on an example of a data sharing platform, the Marine Data Exchange, Project Anemone – Colocation of Offshore Wind, CO2 Storage and Oil and Gas and the  outputs include ten solutions identified by industry to support colocation,  suggestions to evolve good practice and areas where additional analysis or further work may be required.  

Dr Philippa Parmiter, Managing Director, Decarb Scotland, said:
"As the UK pursues Clean Power 2030 and longer-term net zero objectives, which can create circumstances where key offshore projects are in close proximity or even overlapping, it is vital to ensure early visibility of overlap risk, better alignment between leasing, licensing and consenting, and improved data sharing and interoperability. This project demonstrates an appetite to find actionable solutions from developers, regulators and seabed managers which will enable renewable and carbon storage projects to maximise the benefit of offshore wind capacity and the huge carbon storage capacity in UK waters."  

Offshore Wind and CCUS Colocation Forum 

While the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland is vast, competing demands for this space aligned to these ambitions are rapidly increasing, so a coordinated approach to its management is more vital than ever before. 

The Crown Estate believes the benefits that co-location of both offshore wind and CCUS will help maximise the clean energy return from the UK’s natural heritage. 

To identify solutions to the challenges presented by co-locating these two technologies and help make co-location a reality, The Crown Estate established the Offshore Wind and CCUS Co-location Forum in July 2021 which followed a recommendation from the CCUS & Offshore Wind Overlap Study. 

The Forum brings together partners including the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), RenewableUK, OWIC, Government and Crown Estate Scotland to provide strategic coordination of co-location research and activity and help maximise the potential of the seabed for these two critical activities.