Delivering urban energy and transport links using offshore structures

Offshore engineering can play a vital role in meeting the needs of future cities without increasing their onshore footprint. Growth in population and changes in how citizens interact will create demand for energy and transport solutions in the near term. This paper shows how large coastal cities in Asia can deliver transitional base-load power generation capacity within 2-3 years using floating liquefied natural gas units. This will give city authorities time to develop energy from renewable sources, including wider use of floating solar power plants. Airport use is also expected to increase in line with urban growth. Established concrete caisson technologies can be readily adapted from floating highway bridges to provide international-standard floating runways.