Norwegian subsea specialist Aker Solutions has teamed up with Scottish wave energy developer Mocean Energy to look into how locally generated low-carbon ocean power can extend the lifetime of existing oil and gas hubs by accessing stranded reservoirs and thereby reducing the need for new oilfield developments.
The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of developing a “reliable and cost-effective” pilot project of powering subsea infrastructure in UK waters within two years.
The deal includes undertaking feasibility, front-end engineering and design and concept studies for wave-powered tiebacks. The studies will aim to identify the most economically and environmentally efficient solutions to exploit marginal reserves, especially in combination with energy storage.
“Today there are remote, marginal pockets within ageing fields that could potentially be powered with this technology at a lower lifetime cost than installing new umbilical cables, said Morten Pedersen, senior vice president of systems and products at Aker Solutions, adding that if the project proves feasible, the solution would benefit mature regions such as the UK and Norwegian continental shelves, enabling operators to maximise economic extraction from declining brownfields.
Edinburgh-based Mocean Energy is already taking part in a collaborative industry initiative that is currently proving the concept of powering subsea equipment with wave power and intelligent subsea energy storage. The £2m initiative, which is currently operational in Orkney, has connected Mocean Energy’s Blue X wave energy converter with a Halo underwater battery developed by Aberdeen intelligent energy management specialists, Verlume.
“Our collaboration will provide customers with a complete solution to their power and communications needs that is reliable and low carbon,” claimed Cameron McNatt, managing director of Mocean Energy.
The partners said they would target at least one concept study into a pilot project at sea through various routes, including multi-customer joint industry projects. Aker Solutions will supply the ocean-power system, including overall subsea system integration, system engineering support and subsea equipment plans, while Mocean Energy will provide the wave energy technology, project engineering and energy analysis for remote power delivery.
