???? 據堪培拉時報2月8日報道，澳大利亞電氣工程師保羅·卡德威爾（Paul Cadwell）正在執行一項任務，將非運營狀態的石油鉆井平臺轉變為清潔綠色的電能生產平臺。

????作為Legacy全球綠色能源公司的首席執行官，他表示，世界上有超過17個國家在海洋中已經廢棄或正在慢慢廢棄石油和天然氣平臺。

????他表示:“一旦油氣平臺達到其生命周期的盡頭，石油公司有義務讓這些平臺安全退役，但是事實，許多公司會放棄它們，將它們滯留在海上，而這是不應該的。因此，我們計劃重新利用這些平臺，不拆除它們，而是將它們轉變為電能生產平臺。我們可以從海底平臺鋪設一條電纜到海岸，并將其連接到陸上電網。”

????卡德威爾表示，重新利用鉆井平臺將為油氣公司提供另一個收入來源，而不必花費數億美元來移除它們。他表示:“我們為油氣公司提供了一種從石油轉向可再生能源的替代方案，可以重新利用或過渡一個平臺，其成本比移除成本低50%左右。”

????在美國墨西哥灣，至少有3700個石油和天然氣平臺需要退役。在澳大利亞，大約有15個。

????美國國家海洋石油安全和環境管理局發言人表示，根據法律規定，當一個設施停止運營時，它必須退役，可以通過不同的方式來進行。其中有一些設施被完全拆除，其他部分被拆除，還有一些被重新利用。

????Legacy計劃在全球和西澳大利亞州設立辦事處，由工程師負責與公司和政府討論重新使用這些平臺的可行性研究。

????凱德威爾表示:“多年來，我們已與多家公司進行了討論，它們對此相當感興趣，但行動力太差。我們需要可行性研究，因為并不是所有的平臺都適合，一些已經處于衰退狀態，或者結構可能無法承受我們將安裝在平臺上的電力渦輪機的重量。現在是一個實施該計劃的正確時間，可再生能源行業一直偏向太陽能和風能，不過，現如今地熱也在人們心中掀起了巨大的浪潮，我們的計劃實施將基于地熱能。

????他補充道：“地熱技術在陸上是一項成熟的技術，我們打算使用完全相同的技術向近海過渡。這令人興奮，因為我們講給世界留下一個清潔的未來。”

????王佳晶 摘譯自 堪培拉時報

????原文如下：

????Busselton man's mission to re-purpose oil rigs into clean green electrical energy producers

????Southwestern Western Australia resident Paul Cadwell is on a mission to turn non-operational oil rigs into clean-green electrical energy producing platforms.

????Mr Cadwell, of Busselton, is an electrical engineer and has spent his 50-year career working on large-scale construction projects around the world.

????He is the chief executive of Legacy Global Green Energy, saying there were more than 17 countries around the world that have defunct or abandoned oil and gas platforms in the ocean.

????"once oil and gas platforms reach the end of their life cycle a lot of companies abandon them or leave them [offshore]," he said.

????"It is against the law in a lot of countries to do that and they are obliged to decommission and remove them, however there is no will to police it.

????"Our process is to re-purpose those platforms without having to remove them and turn them into electrical energy producing platforms.

????"We can run a cable from the platform under sea to shore and connect it to the electricity grid."

????Mr Cadwell said re-purposing platforms would provide another source of revenue to oil and gas companies without having to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to remove them.

????"We are providing oil and gas companies with an alternative to transition from oil to renewable energy, and can re-purpose or transition a platform at a cost of around 50 per cent less than the cost to remove it," he said.

????There are at least 3,700 oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico off the US coast, which were sitting in the ocean requiring decommissioning.

????In Australia there are around 15 oil platforms in Commonwealth waters off the coast of WA, the NT, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmanian coastlines.

????A National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority spokesperson said when a facility ceased operations it was required by law to be decommissioned, which could occur in various ways.

????The spokesperson said some facilities were removed completely, others partially, and others repurposed.

????Legacy Global Green Energy plans to setup offices globally and in WA which will be staffed by engineers who will talk to companies and governments about doing feasibility studies on repurposing the platforms.

????"Over the years we've had discussions with a number of companies, they were quite interested in it but like everything in Australia, the Australians will sit on their hands and wait and see until someone else does it," Mr Cadwell said.

????"We need feasibility studies because not everyone of those platforms will be suitable, some are in a state of decay or the structure might not withstand the weight of electrical turbines we would put on the platforms.

????"We are doing this at the right time, the darlings of renewables have been solar and wind, however geothermal is making big waves in the public and our process is based on geothermal.

????"Geothermal is a proven technology onshore and we intend to transition that to shore from an ocean based platform using exactly the same technology.

????"It is exciting and the main reason I am doing this is because I need to leave a legacy for a clean world for my son and future generations," he said.