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.
More about our offshore activities
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
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.
