Maersk Drilling is upgrading 2014-built jackup rig Maersk Intrepid in cooperation with Equinor to provide low-emission drilling on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
in cooperation with Equinor to provide low-emission drilling on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.The upgrade will combine hybrid power, an exhaust cleaning system and data intelligence to convert the Maersk Intrepid into a hybrid rig with low NOx emission levels, with reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Morten Kelstrup, CCIO of Maersk Drilling, commented: “The Maersk Intrepid project is the result of asking a simple yet challenging question: What would be the most efficient technological approach to minimising emissions from a rig in the short term? The resulting ideas have been very positively received by Equinor and will contribute to Equinor’s long-term emission targets. It should be noted that the upgrades will not only produce a low-emission profile for the rig; they will also result in cost savings for our customer due to lower energy consumption, so this is business and low-emission targets working hand in hand.”
Maersk Drilling has been granted approval for project funding through the Norwegian industry fund NOx Fund, which is contributing a grant of up to 80% of the project costs, subject to verification of the upgrades.
The battery system will be installed by July this year, and then full implementation of the upgrades is due for completion by the end of the year.
