Powering the UK’s energy transition
Check out our special feature on the UK’s energy future and Equinor’s role in the energy transition.
Powering the UK’s energy future
We’re the Norwegian energy partner that is supporting the UK’s energy transition.
We believe the energy transition requires investment, innovation and a broad mix of energy sources, from low carbon gas and oil to wind and hydrogen, to assure reliable, affordable, sustainable energy.
Our climate ambitions
We’re going for net zero, but what does that really mean?
Business as usual is no longer an option because society has to move faster towards a net-zero future. Climate change presents a fundamental challenge to society. It is a shared challenge, and our industry can play an important role. Equinor aims to become a leading company in the energy transition.
5 ways we contribute to a net-zero society:
- We commit to reducing emissions from our production of oil & gas.
- We accelerate our investments in renewable energy and grow a profitable renewables business.
- We invest in new technology to create and build new low-carbon markets, value chains and industries.
- We will invest in nature-based solutions.
- We use our voice to support the goals of the Paris Agreement and policies that support net zero.
A detailed overview of ambitions, including scopes and boundaries, is provided on page 19 in our Sustainability report 2020.
How can 5 million homes run on nothing but fresh air?
The UK Government has an ambition to achieve 40GW of offshore wind by 2030, and has been advised by the Climate Change Committee that in order to reach net zero, up to 100GW of offshore wind will be needed by 2050.
Equinor is a global leader in offshore wind and is using its expertise in offshore energy to drive forward innovation in the North Sea, and help the UK reach its net zero targets.
This content was paid for and produced by Equinor in partnership with the commercial department of the Financial Times.
Equinor operates three UK offshore wind farms; Dudgeon and Sheringham Shoal, off the Norfolk Coast, and Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating wind farm, off the coast of Peterhead, Scotland.
It is developing plans to extend both its wind farms in Norfolk, doubling their capacity to be able to provide 1.5 million homes with renewable energy.
Equinor is also a partner in the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank. When complete in 2026 this 3.6GW project will be capable of providing around 5 million UK homes with renewable electricity.
Collaborating with others across industry, Equinor is taking a leading role in the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, a pathway to achieving the Government’s ambition to quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030.
Equinor is the global leader in floating offshore wind, an exciting technology with huge global potential as it opens up access to deeper waters, with higher wind speed. Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating wind farm, has consistently outperformed other UK wind farms, achieving the highest average capacity factor three years in a row since its operations began. This technology has been developed building on Equinor’s oil and gas expertise and has paved the way for the UK Government’s commitment to 1GW of floating offshore wind to be developed in the UK by 2030.
Decades of operating experience in the demanding conditions in the North Sea has given Equinor unparalleled insight and knowledge that is transferable to offshore wind projects. The North Sea region will play a key contribution in Equinor’s global ambition to reach an installed net renewables capacity of 12-16 GW by 2030. Two-thirds of this capacity will be within offshore wind.
Hydrogen & CCS
Is it high time for hydrogen in the UK?
We are linking hydrogen and carbon capture projects in two of the UK’s largest industrial clusters to shared CO2 storage in the UK North Sea.
How is the UK’s east coast becoming the heart of the global energy revolution?
Equinor is part of three projects that will link up to drive down emissions on the UK’s east coast. Together they are a giant step to Britain’s goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050, becoming a world leader in hydrogen and low carbon, and safeguarding high-value jobs and creating thousands of new ones.
All three make use of Equinor’s decades of experience in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen production and also the diversity of the UK’s industrial heartlands.
The Humber estuary is at the heart of the UK’s largest industrial region which is also the most carbon-intensive – emitting 1½ times more CO2 than the next largest region. Equinor’s H2H Saltend project will from the mid-2020s supply low carbon hydrogen to local industry, and power, and we are planning to build further hydrogen production capacity in the Humber by the end of the decade. It’s the starting point for creating a Zero Carbon Humber by 2040, with hydrogen and CO2 pipelines connecting to power stations and industrial sites in the region.
With partners in Net Zero Teesside, Equinor is working to decarbonise the Teesside industrial cluster with carbon capture. CO2 emissions from both the Humber and Teesside will be transported through pieplines to permanent storage, both developed by Northern Endurance Partnership, making use of the substantial storage potential deep under the UK North Sea.
95%
At least 95% efficiency in capturing CO2 when producing blue hydrogen
45%
In 2050 the UK could need enough hydrogen to meet 45% of total energy demand*.
World’s First Net Zero Cluster
This content was paid for and produced by Equinor in partnership with the commercial department of the Financial Times.
More about our projects
*(Source: Aurora Energy Research, Hydrogen for a Net Zero GB: an integrated energy market perspective)
Oil and Gas
Contributing towards reliable energy supplies
Equinor is taking a leading role in the energy transition by becoming net zero by 2050. By cutting emissions from oil and gas production and developing new technology that accelerates decarbonisation, we can contribute to net zero and be a relevant company in the future.
In the UK, we are leveraging digitalisation and technology to drive new ways of working with our offshore developments. Technology is providing new opportunities to keep people safe, create value and reduce carbon emissions.
The Mariner field, our first operated development in the UK North Sea, is one of our most innovative offshore developments. Equinor is at the forefront of applying new digital solutions and the latest technologies. We are testing new ground through our offshore digital workers, automated drilling and the use of Echo, a digital copy of the platform, to deliver safe and efficient solutions.
Delivering Rosebank
We are currently working with our partners to deliver Rosebank, one of the largest undeveloped discoveries in the UK. As operator with a 40% interest in Rosebank, we are applying learning from the Equinor portfolio to create value and apply low carbon solutions. Equinor is fully focused in developing a robust concept and looking to apply digitalisation to support safe, efficient and low carbon operations.
Cross-border collaboration
Cross-border developments connect fields and infrastructure across the UK and Norwegian continental shelves, unlocking otherwise stranded resources to add value on both sides of the border. These include the Utgard and Barnacle developments that started production in 2019. The developments are possible through innovative commercial solutions and close collaboration between partners, regulators and authorities in both the UK and Norway.
Production started on Mariner
2019
Gross investment of more than
USD 7.7 billion
Mariner supports
over
500 jobs
Equinor in the UK
London
One Kingdom Street
London, W2 6BD
Switchboard +44 (0) 203 204 3200
Main Fax: +44 (0) 203 204 3600
Aberdeen
Equinor House,
Prime Four Crescent,
Kingswells,
Aberdeen AB15 8QG
Switchboard +44 (0) 1224 540 540
Main Fax: +44 (0) 1224 540 526
Great Yarmouth
50 South Denes Road
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR30 3PR
Supply chain
More than an energy transition
We’ve been operating in the UK for over 35 years, and our impact here is much wider than investing billions of pounds in crucial energy infrastructure. Here are just a few examples:
We employ 650 people in the UK and our new Dogger Bank operational base at Port of Tyne will create over 200 direct jobs in the North East, and has secured thousands of indirect jobs through its supply chain
We work with over 700 suppliers across the country, and are supporting the growth of the UK offshore wind supply chain through our work in the Sector Deal
Through the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership we lend expertise to both new and existing supply chain companies, to help increase UK content
We support innovation, for example by partnering with ORE Catapult, the North of Tyne Combined Authority and others on a £3.5 million offshore renewables innovation programme for businesses in North East England
We invest in talent, working together with our peers to identify current and future skills needs and driving forward the sector’s commitment to becoming more diverse and inclusive
We work with UK universities on research modelling, analysis and sharing data to improve global knowledge of wind farms in operation.
Find out more about Equinor
UK careers
Our product may be energy. But our greatest resource will always be our people.
A new name in the energy game
We are a broad energy company in oil and gas and renewable energy. At Equinor, we continue to push the boundaries of technology, innovation and imagination to create positive change for our business and our planet.
Let’s change for the better, together
We work with people that truly want to make a difference. We believe in the power of collaboration and embrace diversity and equality. Best of all, we help each other succeed and grow.
Shaping your future
Our people are encouraged to develop their skills and abilities and empowered to develop their careers across boundaries - multiple disciplines, functions and geographical locations.
Caring is at the heart of Equinor
The values and culture we share embody the spirit of Equinor at its best and guide us in our daily work. How we deliver is just as important as what we deliver. We care for our colleagues’ well-being and act to create lasting value for our local communities in a transparent, responsible and ethical way.
UK sponsorships
We like to call young people our Heroes of Tomorrow. By harnessing their enthusiasm for the energy industry we will solve the challenge of providing energy in a sustainable way, and we are proud to inspire them to improve the world in which we live.
Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery at the Science Museum builds on children’s natural curiosity in STEM to ensure long lasting engagement. With 50 wonders of science to enjoy, the gallery reveals the beauty of the science and maths that shape our everyday lives.
Building on the success of the ongoing Wonderlab gallery, in 2017 Equinor and the Science Museum launched a nationwide competition to find Britain’s most imaginative and creative young people, Young Imagineers. The annual competition invites imaginative entrants aged 7-14 to design an invention that would make tomorrow’s world a better place. 2017's winner, Finlay aged 10, designed the Hover Wheelchair. Millie aged 10 was the 2018 winner with her Solar Powered Pollution Sucking Robot Pigeon. Each winning idea was made into a model and put on display outside Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery at the Science Museum.
In Aberdeen, Scotland, Equinor sponsors a number of organisations who are committed to igniting an interest in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths) subjects. Working together, we can provide exciting, hands-on experiences as well as access to industry knowledge and professionals.
Equinor partners with North East based charity TechFest . TechFest is best known for its annual festival, making it Scotland’s most substantial and ambitious digital science festival to date. We support both their annual public programme, aimed at engaging the public in STEM activities, and a workshop event for school children, attracting approximately 400 pupils over two days. The event is designed to inspire young people to pursue careers within STEM.
Equinor is Digital Futures partner for the new Aberdeen Science Centre. Digitalisation plays a huge role in our industry but also within our everyday lives. A new exhibit for 2020, RoboThespian, an interactive, humanoid robot, will help the public to learn more about programming, animation and automation, skills which span numerous industries, with STEM at their core. We also fund the Code Factory, an educational public programme which teaches programming through fun and interactive workshops.
Equinor also supports the NASA in Aberdeen programme, primarily aimed at all school age children, but also the general public. The events are designed to inspire the next generation of energy industry professionals by providing a glimpse into the world of NASA Engineering, Space Exploration and the clear links to the technology and innovation used in the energy sector.
With Aberdeenshire Council and Peterhead Academy, we have created the Hywind STEM Hub, which is building young people’s skills and understanding of renewable technologies. The space doubles as both a learning facility and community space, whilst providing a physical link to Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating windfarm, located 16 miles off the coast of Peterhead.