Reliable Local Renewable Power Generation for More Environmentally and Economically Viable Subsea Production Operations
Authors: Slorach Paul , Crossland Ian , Evans James 
Published: April 2022

Recognizing the challenge of renewable energy intermittency and energy security needs for offshore operations, the collaborative Renewables for Subsea Power (RSP) project has been developed to demonstrate delivery of low carbon power and communications to subsea production control systems and residential underwater vehicles. Reliable local renewable power generation enables more environmentally and economically viable operations. For example, for cost-effective clean power delivery to marginal fields, as a remedial power supply for degraded umbilicals, and for enabling underwater vehicle residency. This collaborative project is led by two United Kingdom (UK) based developers, a wave energy company and an energy storage and distribution device provider. The project consortium includes wider industry engagement from operators, an oil & gas service company, and the Aberdeen-based Net Zero Technology Centre.

The demonstration project adopts a phased approach, with the ultimate objective of demonstrating a wave energy converter and seabed energy storage system for subsea power delivery. Phase 1 comprised the completion of a detailed front end engineering design (FEED) study. Phase 2 is ongoing and consists of system communication bench testing, assembly of the subsea systems, and onshore commissioning of both the wave energy device and the seabed energy storage system. Phase 3 will be the final part of the project, including offshore deployment and underwater demonstration.

Focusing on the seabed battery storage element of the project, this paper will discuss the overall project objectives, energy security and safety considerations for seabed battery storage design and the novel outcomes expected upon completion of the full project plan. The results from Phase 2 are expected in May 2022. Phase 3 is scheduled to commence in Q3 2022 and it is planned for an initial 6 month duration offshore trial in the North Sea.

This project will contribute significantly to the state of knowledge related to clean energy in the petroleum industry, with successful completion of the project demonstrating renewable power generation and seabed battery energy storage robustness for production control applications. This is understood to be the first such project to integrate existing subsea production control system (SPCS) technology to seabed energy storage and renewable energy production using remote control from shore. Importantly, it must be noted that this demonstration is not to be undertaken on a live producing well, instead representing the SPCS set-up using field proven subsea electronics modules (SEM) and DC load banks used to simulate maximum loading resulting from operation of a live system. By the end of the project, it is the intention to prove the first full scale prototype system to technology readiness level (TRL) 6 (American Petroleum Institute, 2017) by demonstrating reliable power generation, storage and delivery over a range of wave conditions representative of a typical live well installation location.