Renewable energy powers North Sea rig

 

Production of natural gas from the Cutter field in the southern North Sea is being powered solely by energy from wind and solar sources.

The platform, a joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil, is powered by two wind turbines and a pair of solar panels. It cost just £80 million to develop and is expected to produce gas and associated liquids at a rate of three million standard cubic metres a day.

The Cutter platform measures only eight metres square and has been developed to allow small pockets of oil and gas to be recovered economically without adding to carbon emissions. It is a monotower installation, resting on a single leg, and has no helidecks.

The unmanned platform will have interim inspection visits by boat and scheduled maintenance every two years using a jack-up rig. Safety valves will shut down production in case of emergency and the wells themselves are equipped with sub-surface emergency shutdown valves. The platform also has equipment to inject corrosion and hydrate inhibitors into the wet gas pipeline.

Cutter is located some 75 miles from the Norfolk coast and will export to the Bacton gas plant. It is expected to be in production for at least 15 years.

Fabrication costs for Cutter were around 40% that of a traditional platform and its lightness allowed installation by a drilling rig rather than crane barge. Use of renewable energy overcame the need for a sub-sea cable.