Aker BP, the Norwegian oil and gas exploration and production company, has selected Hitachi Energy, a global technology and market leader in power grids, as technology partner for the NOAKA power-from-shore project off the Norwegian coast. The entire project will be powered by up to 150 MW of power from the mainland grid – making it the world’s longest power-from-shore AC connection at around 250 kilometers.
Hitachi Energy will perform detailed front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies for a power quality solution that will enable the Aker BP-operated NOA Fulla field and the Equinor operated Krafla field in the North Sea to be powered from the mainland.
Using power from the mainland grid, which is mainly renewable hydropower, minimizes NOAKA’s carbon footprint. To ensure reliable and safe transmission of electricity to the offshore platforms, Hitachi Energy’s solution combines two power quality technologies that have never been used before for this type of application: a high-performance STATCOM called SVC Light, and thyristor-controlled series capacitors. The MACH control and protection system will enable the two technologies to work in harmony as a single synchronized solution.
“We are delighted that Aker BP has selected our pioneering power quality solution, enabling this vital energy project to be powered with emission-free renewable energy,” said Niklas Persson, managing director of Hitachi Energy’s grid integration business. “This world-first solution will also enable progress toward mega-scale offshore renewable power installations, offering viable alternative pathways for connecting power from shore with AC over long distances.”
“Our ambition is to develop the NOAKA area with a minimum carbon footprint and a prerequisite for this is that the fields are supplied with power-from-shore,” said Lars Høier, senior vice president and asset manager for NOAKA at Aker BP. “We selected Hitachi Energy as our trusted technology partner to provide a reliable and flexible grid connection and power quality solution to secure high reliability in our operations.”
Hitachi Energy supplied the world’s first long-distance power-from-shore installation in Norway in 2005 using its HVDC Light high-voltage direct current technology. Since then, Hitachi Energy has supplied four of the five HVDC power-from-shore installations, all of which supply platforms off the Norwegian coast.
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