Natural gas production platform starts running on electricity from offshore windfarm

ONE-Dyas and its partners EBN and Tenaz Energy reached the milestone when a cable connection to the N05-A platform from the Riffgat offshore windfarm was energised and provided power to the platform. N05-A is the first gas platform in the North Sea to operate on electricity from offshore wind.

The platform has been producing natural gas from a single Dutch well for several months, but drilling of a second well is due to start soon using a mobile drilling platform that will be temporarily connected to N05-A to drill the well. This unit has also been converted to operate on electricity, a second ‘first’ for the project that will see gas production and drilling taking place with minimal CO2 emissions.

“Platform electrification reduces greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero,” said ONE-Dyas. “Hence, natural gas production supports climate targets, and makes an important contribution to the security of natural gas supply during the energy transition.” 

The N05-A platform can produce 2Bn m³ (bcm) of natural gas a year, equivalent to 7% of Dutch demand and more than 2% of German demand. 

The project is in a border area in the North Sea, where several small fields contribute to a stable energy supply for the Netherlands and Germany. The potential of the fields in the so-called GEMS area is approximately 50 bcm of natural gas. In 2024, gas demand in Germany was approximately 75 bcm and approximately 30 bcm in the Netherlands.

ONE-Dyas chief executive Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck said, “As long as there is demand for natural gas, we will take our responsibility together with the Dutch and German governments. 

“Electrification of N05-A increases the sustainability of North Sea natural gas and helps to reduce our reliance on imported natural gas from countries on which we do not wish to be fully dependent. 

“It is a powerful signal that the Netherlands and Germany are fully committed to local gas production in the North Sea. The volumes from N05-A and surrounding fields adjacent fields are contributing significantly to enhancing our self-sufficiency.”