Petroleum Africa
Find us on: 
Friday, February 12, 2021
Siemens Energy signed an agreement with Maersk Drilling to upgrade two ultra-harsh environment CJ70 jack-up drilling rigs in the North Sea with hybrid power plants using lithium-ion energy storage. The rigs – the Maersk Intrepid and Maersk Integrator – were retrofitted with BlueVault™ batteries from Siemens Energy. They are the first jack-ups to employ a combination of hybrid, low-emission solutions on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
The batteries have enabled Maersk Drilling to reduce the runtime of onboard combustion engines and maintain an operational setpoint where energy efficiency is maximized. The initial data point shows that Maersk Intrepid in the first month of operations with the full set of upgrades installed was able to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 percent and NOx emissions by 95 percent compared to the baseline average for the rig.
“We’re thrilled to receive a promising first data set on emission reductions,” said Caroline Alting, Head of Integrity & Projects for Maersk Drilling. “It’s still too early to make any definitive conclusions on average emission reductions over time, but the preliminary results are promising with reductions around 25 percent compared to the rig’s baseline, driven by both energy-saving technology and behavioral changes supported by the low-emission package.”
The advanced BlueVault battery system is suited for both all-electric and hybrid power applications and is specifically designed to minimize emissions and ensure continuity of power on offshore vessels. The solution has been installed on various marine vessels worldwide, including the West Mira ultra-deep semi-submersible, the world’s first low-emissions drilling rig to use lithium-ion energy storage.
Offshore rigs are ideally suited for hybrid power plants, as they have highly variable power consumption for drilling, dynamic positioning, and station keeping. The diesel-electric solution with BlueVault energy storage will reduce the transient load on generator sets, meaning that basic requirements can be met by fewer engines operating at a higher load, thus decreasing carbon emissions.
The batteries’ temperature is regulated with a water-cooling system, which works as a passive safety layer to prevent thermal runaway. Another differentiating feature is the system’s digitalized condition monitoring system, which provides state of health (SOH) and state of charge (SOC) transparency for individual cells to maximize the batteries’ performance and lifespan.
Siemens Energy also supplied BlueDrive power electronics and advanced monitoring software.
“We are proud to contribute to Maersk Drilling’s strategy to set a new industry standard for low-emission offshore drilling and look forward to bringing this highly sustainable solution to additional rigs in the future,” said Jennifer Hooper, Senior Vice President, Industrial Applications Solutions for Siemens Energy.
" alt="First LNG Realized at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim Project">
" alt="United Energy Acquires Western Desert Producer APEX">
" alt="Baker Hughes Announces Major Gas Technology Orders for Venture Global LNG">
" alt="ReconAfrica: Naingopo Results Demonstrate a Working Petroleum System">
" alt="Tullow Highlights 2025 Operational Plans in Ghana">
" alt="TotalEnergies to Supply 1.5 TWh to STMicroelectronics in France Over 15 years">
" alt="Rockhopper Reaches Final Settlement with United on Egypt’s Abu Sennan Concession">
" alt="Oil & Gas Crucial for African Growth: AEC Calls for Industry Support to Defend African Market">
