The Gulf Offshore Research Institute will soon transform idle offshore structures into economic hubs for the Gulf Coast.
The Gulf Offshore Research Institute and its partners, including the University of Houston, have been awarded $20 million through the Gulf Futures Challenge to advance an initiative that will transform inactive offshore platforms into productive hubs for advanced energy technologies, mineral recovery and aquaculture.
By repurposing legacy assets, the “Repurposing Petroleum Infrastructure for Sustainable Energy, Food and Critical Minerals” initiative aims to drive resource efficiency, promote marine biodiversity and fuel economic growth across the Gulf Coast while supporting environmental resilience.
As part of the reward, the University of Houston received a total $1.3 million over five years to deliver techno-economic insights and workforce development programs.
“This award reflects UH’s leadership in addressing complex energy and environmental challenges,” said Claudia Neuhauser, vice president for research at UH. “Our role in developing micro-credential courses for professionals in the evolving energy sector will produce a much-needed workforce to support regional economic growth.”
Translating Research into Real-World Solutions
The money is split across two teams. The ROICE program (Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Continued Energy) will receive about $800,000 to develop the techno-economic aspect of the project.
ROICE launched in 2022 as a thought experiment and has since grown into a vital space for researchers to explore ways to repurpose thousands of inactive wells, pipelines and platforms in the Gulf, allowing UH to bring deep expertise to this initiative.
“This five-year program has the potential to generate significant revenue from these repurposed infrastructure assets and deliver major socioeconomic benefits to Gulf Coast communities.”
— Ram Seetharam, ROICE Program Executive Director, University of Houston
“UH is excited and honored to be part of the consortium led by GORI to transform offshore platforms into hubs for energy, food and ocean monitoring,” said Ram Seetharam, ROICE Program executive director at UH. “This five-year program has the potential to generate significant revenue from these repurposed infrastructure assets and deliver major socioeconomic benefits to Gulf Coast communities.”
In addition, the UH Cullen College of Engineering will receive approximately $500,000 for the workforce development program, which was designed by Dimitrios Kalliontzis, assistant professor at the Cullen College, and Diedra Pernell, executive director of UH Energy’s Educational Programs.
“Pernell and I will lead a comprehensive, multi-tiered workforce development initiative spanning from K-12 students to practicing professional engineers,” Kalliontzis said. “Grounded in my research on fluid-structure interaction and wave energy conversion, this NASEM project is uniquely positioned at the intersection of legacy energy expertise and emerging marine energy technologies for repurposing aging offshore oil and gas infrastructure.”
A Multidisciplinary Approach
While ROICE and Cullen College play a significant role in the effort — bringing expertise in offshore hydrogen production, energy transition feasibility and workforce development — the Gulf Offshore Research Institute has assembled a multidisciplinary team to ensure the project’s success:
- Hart Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
- Blue Latitudes LLC
- University of Southern Mississippi
- Louisiana State University
- University of Michigan
- Gulf Trust
- The FerVID Group
- Blue Silo Aquaculture LLC
Work will begin with platform permitting, stakeholder engagement and structural assessments, with GORI aiming to have five operational platforms producing measurable environmental and economic returns by 2030.
The Gulf Futures Challenge is a $50 million initiative supporting projects that apply, translate or communicate science, engineering or medical knowledge to address challenges facing the Gulf Coast region. The initiative is sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Gulf Coast Research Program and Level for Change.
“We are transforming the backbone of oil and gas production into a more sustainable and prosperous Gulf Coast,” said Kent Satterlee, executive director of GORI. “By integrating renewable energy, aquaculture, mineral recovery and ocean monitoring, we strengthen marine habitats, support thriving ecosystems, boost coastal economies and advance sustainable energy production.”
UH Advancing Energy Innovation and Workforce Development
This work builds on the University of Houston’s broader leadership in addressing energy infrastructure and workforce needs.
In August, Ganesh Thakur, director of UH Energy Industrial Partnerships, and George Wong, graduate studies director at the Cullen College of Engineering, received $1.1 million from the Ocean Energy Safety Institute to advance deepwater production innovation.
UH also partnered with the Urban Enrichment Institute and the Houston Health Department on a $560,000 grant to prepare the next generation of energy workers.
In January, the University received a $1 million gift from Peggy and Chris Seaver to establish the Peggy and Chris Seaver Endowed Aspire Professorship, strengthening UH Energy and expanding the University’s leadership in addressing global energy challenges.