Premier Oil has let a contract to Ocean Power Technologies Inc. (OPT) to provide communications and remote monitoring services in Huntington field in the central North Sea. The contract calls for a 9-month lease, including an initial 3-month trial.
The project is expected to start in June with deployment of an OPT PowerBuoy anticipated for October.
The OPT PowerBuoy will serve as a self-sustaining intelligent platform. The project is backed by the Aberdeen-based Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), which has provided co-funding, support, and technical input to the monitoring requirements for the buoy.
Chris Pearson, OGTC small pools solution center manager, said it’s the first time that a wave-power device is being deployed on the UK Continental Shelf oil and gas development.
“The system can provide monitoring to safeguard subsea safety zones and generate power with a view to operate subsea assets, meaning it fits well with our focus on reducing the cost of decommissioning and unlocking small pools,” Pearson said.
Premier Oil is evaluating another longer-term deployment where, in addition to site monitoring services, the PowerBuoy would power and communicate with subsea control modules to monitor pressures and temperatures within the wells. Planning for this second phase would commence later this year.