Southern North Sea Energy Alliance forged

Four organisations around the Southern North Sea with a strong bond with the value and supply chain of the offshore energy industry have forged an alliance with the aim of cooperation.

Amsterdam Ymuiden Offshore Ports AYOP, East of England Energy Group (EEEGR), North Sea Energy Gateway Den Helder (NSEG) and Team Humber Marine Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today at the Offshore Energy 2018 Exhibition and Conference at the Amsterdam RAI.

The co-operation will be branded under the name ‘Southern North Sea Energy Alliance’ SNSEA.

The four organisations are active in neighbouring regions of the Southern North Sea and represent the offshore energy economic ecosystem in their region. Members and stakeholders of the four parties are commercial and non-profit companies in the supply chain, educational institutions, research institutes and organisations and governmental bodies. The collaboration has the prime purpose of supporting the members of each organisation.

The MOU provides a framework to pursue closer working relations on promoting the Southern North Sea regions as an offshore and marine energy hub and to foster joint projects between the parties and their members and stakeholders. The four parties seek opportunities for collaboration and joint marketing with the purpose to promote formal and informal co-operation between their members and stakeholders, with the aim of bringing more business, investments and employment to the regions involved and bridging knowledge, innovation and competencies. Opening markets in both directions, encouraging the exchange of knowledge and best practices and networking where the four parties strive to collaborate and innovate.

The Southern North Sea is an asset for sustainable economic prosperity:

• Over the next decade the offshore energy sector in the North Sea is ‘on the move’.
• Energy generation in and around the Southern North Sea will increase dramatically and will be a great source of economic investments, innovation, business establishments and employment.
• As existing gas reserves begin to become exhausted, we will gradually see a reduction in exploration activity.
• Legacy wells will be plugged and offshore platforms and pipelines will be abandoned and decommissioned or potentially reused for other purposes such as the manufacture of hydrogen or accommodation platforms for use by offshore wind farms.
• Offshore wind farms will be developed, installed, constructed and maintained. The demand for skilled employees in the maintenance and operations will be huge.
• System integration between offshore and marine/ocean renewables and conventional offshore energy will be applied and offers opportunities.
• The North Sea – and especially the southern part – could be developed as the innovative ‘Energy Garden’ of Western Europe and it can function as a living field lab for energy integration oil & gas industry (including late life and decommissioning), carbon capture and storage, emerging gas to wire and power to gas technologies, wave and tidal, energy transmission and storage, and hydrogen production. These are all potential areas for new innovation and activity.
• Smart flight connections across the Southern North Sea increase and optimize transport and logistics of cargo, goods and personnel, and can be very beneficial for the regions and the established companies.

Given the aforementioned development, the regions of the four partners have the opportunity to become key offshore energy hubs for Western European and grow as a world leader in the offshore and marine energy innovation.