University partners with industry leaders to repurpose offshore infrastructure for clean energy

The University of Houston, recognized for its energy-focused research centers, has signed two memorandums of understanding with Promethean Energy and Endeavor Management. These agreements aim to tackle the challenges associated with repurposing offshore infrastructure for clean energy use.

Clint Boman, senior vice president of operations at Promethean Energy, and Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president for energy and innovation at UH, formalized the partnership by signing the MOUs. The collaboration will involve UH Energy and members of the University's Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Clean Energy (ROICE) Project Collaborative. The initiative seeks to foster innovation, research, and implementation of sustainable energy solutions in the next phase of the ROICE project.

Ram Seetharam, Energy Center officer and ROICE program lead, emphasized the extensive support required for the ROICE program. “It is supported by experts from over 40 institutions, including engineering companies, national labs, equipment manufacturers, investors, regulators and other parties interested in the energy transition objectives offered by the project,” he said. He also expressed gratitude towards Promethean Energy and Endeavor Management for their support.

Recent efforts by the collaborative have produced insightful research and comprehensive reports on regulatory and technical considerations for repurposing offshore infrastructure projects. These reports are available on the ROICE website.

Clint Boman highlighted Promethean Energy's commitment to an orderly energy transition. “Promethean Energy is focused on being the best last steward of offshore oil and gas production assets," he said. "We are therefore very excited to be partnering with the ROICE program to advance clean energy repurposing.”

John McKeever, chief growth officer of Endeavor Management, underscored the importance of blending expertise in offshore operations with innovative commercial strategies to meet evolving regulatory requirements. “Together, we will create a blueprint that drives real business impact with the application of clean energy principles,” McKeever stated.

The signing ceremony included unveiling a new ROICE logo depicting an existing oil and gas platform being repurposed for clean energy—symbolized by wind turbines representing offshore wind energy, waves representing wave energy, and a hydrogen tank representing green energy.

Located in Houston—a hub for over 4,500 energy companies—the collaborators aim to leverage each other's strengths to accelerate advancements in sustainable energy technologies. “These MOUs formalize our mutual commitment to advance industry's implementation of energy transition strategies,” Seetharam concluded. “Together we aim to create impactful solutions that will benefit both the energy sector and society as a whole.”