Transporting offshore wind power in the Western Gulf of Mexico: retrofitting existing assets for power transmission via green hydrogen-a review

The USA recently announced it is planning on deploying 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 (national goal for offshore wind). Part of this development will be in the Gulf of Mexico, which has both wind potential and pre-existing oil and gas pipelines, only a portion of which is currently being used. Examining whether these assets can be used to economically transport power back from future Gulf wind farms should be a first step for developers. The question of whether laying new high-voltage direct current submarine cable versus repurposing pipeline to transport wind power will be examined. This paper looks at the hydrogen market and its use to transport wind power, what it would take to retrofit pipeline to carry hydrogen, a cost analysis given available data, and a look at potential policy support. There is a need to assess pipelines individually; however, retrofitting existing infrastructure should be considered an alternative to laying new submarine transmission cables. Additionally, alleviating the issue of oil and gas stranded assets through pipeline reuse may provide political support in hastening the energy transition.

Automated summary

The USA plans to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 and is considering using existing oil and gas pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico to transport the wind power. This study examines the hydrogen market, retrofitting pipelines for hydrogen transportation, cost analysis, and potential policy support.