Project aims

The UK's energy transition to net-zero emissions (net zero) has driven the rapid expansion of offshore infrastructure associated with windfarms and the subsurface storage of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. MOET provides the UK's first holistic study of the environmental and social effects resulting from the infrastructure expansion. It also supports a unique opportunity to demonstrate a world-leading, all-inclusive approach to offshore environmental management and infrastructure development

Project rationale

The UK energy sector has already started the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy to sustain prosperity while achieving net zero by the government's target of 2050. The transition will require increased development of offshore windfarms, temporary storage of hydrogen and permanent storage of carbon dioxide. Often-sensitive marine environments, including the subsurface, seabed and the water column, and other marine-based activities such as fishing, aggregate extraction. cabling and shipping must interact with the infrastructure necessary for their development. This interaction will create potentially significant new challenges for the protection and optimal use of these spaces, which are already under climate-related stress.

Consequently, there will also be new questions around the public's acceptance of the net benefits versus costs, resulting in a complex network of stakeholders including policymakers, industry and UK citizens. Their engagement is crucial for the successful implementation of offshore solutions to achieve net zero.

The project team, in collaboration with our stakeholders, will provide objective criteria to inform the selection of the most appropriate sites for planned UK offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) and energy hub programmes. MOET will also deliver new social and economic insights into trade-offs for siting of offshore windfarms and hydrogen storage at the scale needed to meet the UK's net zero targets.