ABB has been contracted to supply equipment to two HVDC converter stations linking the recently discovered Johan Sverdrup offshore field with the onshore grid.
Oil production at Johan Sverdrup, located west of Stavanger on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), is expected to start in late 2019. Full production is estimated at 550,000-650,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, constituting 40% of total oil production on the NCS.
The four platforms that make up the first phase of the development will be powered by ABB from shore via the HVDC link as part of the order worth $155 million from Norway’s Statoil. The first phase of power-from-shore investments will prepare for the future development of the Johan Sverdrup field, as well as other fields located at Utsira High until 2022.
According to President of ABB’s Process Automation Division Peter Terwiesch, the latest contract represents the third HVDC power-from-shore link supplied by ABB, continuing the global company’s successful relationship with Statoil.
By using onshore electricity to run these oil platforms, the need for local gas turbine power generation will be eliminated, significantly lowering CO2 emissions as well as operating and maintenance costs.
ABB will design, engineer, supply and commission the equipment for two ±80 kilovolt 100 MW high-voltage converter stations. The first station, which will be located onshore at Haugsneset, will convert alternating current (AC) from the grid into high-voltage direct current (DC) for transmission over 200km to the second station on one of the oil platforms, where the DC current will be converted back into AC and distributed to the rest of the field.
ABB’s solution will utilise Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) technology, called ‘HVDC Light’ to provide flexible, long-distance transmission of electricity. All four HVDC power-from-shore systems supplied by ABB in the North Sea are based on the VSC technology.