Integrated Offshore Oil and Gas–Renewable Energy Systems for China’s Low-Carbon Transition: Coupling Pathways and Integration Challenges

Abstract

Driven by China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and the low-carbon transition of offshore oil and gas operations, the integration of offshore oil and gas with wind, solar, marine, and hydrogen energy is emerging as an important pathway for balancing energy security, emission reduction, and operational efficiency. Focusing on system boundaries and positions along the energy chain, this paper classifies offshore oil and gas–renewable energy integration into four representative pathways: shore power electrification, platform microgrid integration, hydrogen production and export, and energy islands or regional hubs. This study provides a structured narrative review of the key technologies, major constraints, and feasible implementation approaches associated with these pathways from the perspectives of offshore microgrid architecture, energy storage and backup, energy management, and offshore engineering installation, operation, and maintenance. The results indicate that the coordinated use of multiple energy sources and microgrid-based integration is particularly relevant to single-platform and small-cluster scenarios requiring local power balancing and progressive electrification. However, wider deployment remains constrained by resource intermittency, the safety and lifetime of energy storage systems, cross-system coordinated control, offshore engineering reliability, and the lack of a comprehensive standards system. This study provides a reference for offshore platform electrification retrofits in China, the comparison and selection of integration schemes, and the planning of demonstration projects.