A systematic multi-criteria decision-making framework for the re-use of old fixed offshore jackets for marine renewable energy

Abstract

Re-use of fixed offshore platforms used in oil and gas industry at end of its life is a topic discussed for long time. As the renewable energy extraction from offshore sector is also gaining momentum very fast. Development of offshore wind has shown significant progress with lot of new developments in execution stage or under planning. Especially there is rapid development happening in the floating offshore wind. Altogether the renewable energy sector industry will see accelerated development in utilizing the energy potential in offshore sector. There is requirement of support structures in offshore locations for these marine energy applications related to energy production, conversion, storage, and transmission. In this context, the re-use of old fixed offshore platforms as support structures for marine renewable energy (MRE) applications is studied. A systematic approach and methodology are proposed here for comparison and selection of different re-use cases considered. The concept of Structural Reusability Index is also introduced.