In 2006, we began operating the world’s first offshore natural gas production platforms powered by wind and solar electricity. This lightweight, low-cost and zero-emission platform – called a monotower because it stands on a single leg – is based on the design used for offshore wind turbines. Monotowers make it possible to tap small natural gas fields in the North Sea that would be uneconomic with traditional equipment. Developing these fields helps increase and diversify energy supplies by extending the production life of mature regions like the North Sea.
We began operating two monotowers in 2006. Each platform uses just 1.2 kilowatts of power per day. That is less than it takes to boil a kettle and much less than the 30 kilowatts needed to operate a traditional unmanned platform or the 40 megawatts that a full-size, manned facility requires.