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TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Offshore pipelines design

in the Energy Transition

New H and CO transport operating
2
2
scenarios, technological challenges
and innovation strategies

Elvira Aloigi, Technical Manager of H & CO
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Offshore Pipelines R&D Projects, Offshore
Engineering
Giorgio Arcangeletti, R&D Engineering Dept.
Manager, Asset-Based Business Line Picture 1 – Hydrogen Pipelines (existing and 2030 vision) based on data available from
Benedetto Orselli, Design and repurposing of off- Roads2Hy.com and gasforclimate2050.eu
shore pipelines
Andrea Mercuri, Senior Technical Safety Specialist
Saipem S.p.A.

he new energy production and distri-
bution scenarios include Renewable
Energies, Hydrogen as energy vector
and the application of Carbon Cap-
ture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
T technologies. According to the Inter-
national Energy Agency, pipelines, as part of the
transport infrastructure, are key enablers of the
transition to a decarbonized energy system making
it more viable economically especially when repur-
posing existing oil and gas pipelines. Considering
Hydrogen transport, in Europe, 1.600 km hydro- Picture 2 – Re-stream (2021), a Study on the reuse of oil
and gas infrastructure for hydrogen and CCS in Europe,
gen pipelines were identified in 2016 all onshore by Carbon Limits and DNV (Det Norske Veritas) for IOGP
whilst today the European gas transport associa- (International Association of Oil & Gas Producers), Entsog
tions, within Gas for Climate, foresees 8 times more (European Network of Transmission System Operators for
including repurposing of the existing gas grid and Gas), Concawe, GIE (Gas Infrastructure Europe).
offshore lines.
associations to assess the feasibility of repurposing
The topic of repurposing is another key element the European gas and oil infrastructure to transport
and presumes that the energy transition should be hydrogen or CO (Picture 2).
2
based on a circular economy approach maximizing
re-use without compromising safety. Some results applicable to offshore pipelines are
In 2021 a study was commissioned by important shown in Table 1.

Impiantistica Italiana - Maggio-Giugno 2023 13