Continued collaboration with the oil and gas sector is essential for renewables to scale to meet the UK’s clean power ambitions, according to Hitachi Energy country managing director for UK and Ireland Laura Fleming.
In an exclusive interview with Energy Voice, Fleming said the energy transition would not mean an immediate severing of ties with hydrocarbons: “Instead, it’s about evolving and aligning both sectors towards shared decarbonisation goals”.
“The oil and gas supply chains are still deeply intertwined with renewables, particularly in areas like offshore wind where the expertise in subsea engineering, logistics and heavy lifting that oil and gas companies have developed is essential,” she said.
“The oil and gas industry has been very successful and the renewable industry can still learn a lot how to develop from an emerging industry to a mature industry, this goes for matters related to engineering but also to finance and investment.”
In the UK, Hitachi Energy is heavily focused on the wind sector and enabling the flow of electricity from wind farms to locations where it can find end users. Hitachi provides the connection for Dogger Bank Wind Farm and the Shetland Grid, among others.
To that end, Fleming said the main priority for the UK right now is “to ensure that each gigawatt of renewable energy is matched by investment in the grid”.
“Growth in grid capacity is the key to unlocking growth in renewables. Grid capacity must move in lockstep with the growth of renewables,” she said.
“Investment in grid capacity will allow the UK to capture the enormous growth opportunity from a Net Zero grid. To deliver this, the priority should be on delivering the Transmission Acceleration Action Plan and the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan with rapid unblocking of grid connections that risk holding back renewable energy projects.”
Zombie projects
Grid congestion indicates that investment in renewable energy capacity has already outpaced grid investment and planning. This can be seen by the huge waiting list for grid connection, where many viable developments are blocked by ‘zombie’ projects that lack funding.
In January, the UK’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) blocked new projects from joining the mammoth queue. NESO says it imposed the pause to overhaul the application rules, but the risk remains that planned transmission investment will further lag generation in terms of delivery.
Integrating large amounts of offshore wind requires development of an offshore transmission grid and the reinforcement and expansion of both north-south and east-west transmission capacity.
Fleming added that the key to a just and achievable transition lies in a balanced, phased approach. She pointed out that, overall, there is still much to learn from the oil and gas industry – especially given the overlap with offshore wind.
“The skills are similar, and not just limited to this industry, but also others such as automotive and aerospace, where electrical engineers can bring solutions to support the digitalisation of the industry.
“The UK can leverage its existing oil and gas expertise and infrastructure to accelerate the deployment of renewables, while ensuring energy security during the transition.”
