At this year’s Offshore Technology Conference, GORI Technical Director Alan Cohen presented “From Liabilities to Assets: GORI Reimagines the Future of Offshore Platforms” (OTC-36975-MS), a paper he co-authored with Executive Director Kent Satterlee. The presentation shared GORI’s plan for turning aging Gulf oil and gas platforms into multi-use hubs for energy, critical minerals, aquaculture, and ocean data monitoring.
The timing lined up with big news. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine had just awarded GORI $20 million to help get this work off the ground. Roughly 1,300 Gulf platforms remain today, and 100 to 150 are removed every year. GORI’s approach turns that around, converting infrastructure slated for removal into revenue-generating, resilient assets instead. Starting with five pilot platforms, including South Pass 83, the team is proving out a scalable model that strengthens U.S. energy security, supply chains, and coastal economies, while also building pathways for workforce training and re-employment.
It’s a strong sign of momentum for GORI’s five-year plan to turn five Gulf platforms into regional assets that support jobs, clean energy, and domestic mineral supply chains.