The triple targets of supporting manufacturing, decreasing emissions, and accelerating the transition to internet zero are driving technological innovation within the North Sea.
That’s what UK oil regulator the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) mentioned in a launch despatched to Rigzone lately, which highlighted that 1,200 new applied sciences had been reported within the group’s 2023 Expertise Insights survey.
These included aerial drone and self-driving subsea automobiles, the discharge identified. Different notable examples, as highlighted within the survey, which was accomplished by 55 UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) operators, embrace light-weight compact timber, digital properly planning utilizing synthetic intelligence, wi-fi downhole surveillance applied sciences, disposable fiber-lines, and vapor restoration techniques.
The variety of applied sciences reported by UKCS operators stood at 1,080 in 2022 and 880 in 2021, the NSTA’s newest survey outlined.
The NSTA survey confirmed that improvements within the fields of internet zero and digital have risen considerably, the discharge famous, including that internet zero applied sciences have risen from 61 recorded in 2021 to 140 in 2023 and that knowledge and digital applied sciences have grown from 190 to 381 in the identical interval.
“Services administration applied sciences, together with deployment of monitoring gear by aerial drones and autonomous underwater automobiles stay the one largest place for innovation, whereas there was important development within the areas of installations and topsides, and reservoir and properly administration,” the discharge acknowledged.
“However progressive pondering stays vibrant throughout the trade with thrilling new concepts being applied within the areas of seismic and exploration, properly drilling and building, subsea techniques, properly P&A and amenities decommissioning,” it added.
The discharge famous that total spend was distributed throughout disciplines however identified that the most important sums had been spent on properly drilling and building and installations.
“Total, operators dedicated GBP 200 million ($253.5 million) to switch spending – the place they purchased know-how from suppliers – and GBP 65 million ($82.4 million) in their very own analysis and growth,” the NSTA mentioned within the launch.
“Each figures had been up on the earlier yr the place GBP 156 million ($197.8 million) and GBP 49 million ($62.1 million) had been invested respectively,” it added.
NSTA Expertise Supervisor Ernie Lamza mentioned within the launch, “the North Sea is filled with alternatives associated to hydrocarbons and internet zero, however on the similar time generally is a troublesome place to work”.
“Operators should concentrate on discovering options to many difficult issues. Their progressive strategy is evident within the persevering with growth and use of the brand new applied sciences highlighted on this report,” he added.
“World-leading applied sciences, expertise and expertise enhance manufacturing and assist the vitality transition, inserting UKCS employees and corporations in an amazing place to safe work and ship services within the UK and in different producing areas all over the world,” he continued.
Within the launch, the NSTA mentioned it’s dedicated to supporting trade in utilizing know-how to boost vitality safety, scale back emissions, and speed up the transition to internet zero.
Responding to the NSTA 2023 Expertise Insights report, Neil Pickering, the Enterprise Transformation & Progress Supervisor for trade physique Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), informed Rigzone, “it’s encouraging to see greater than 50 operators contribute to this yr’s NSTA Expertise Insights report and observe the rise in internet zero applied sciences from 61 in 2021 to 140 in 2023”.
“This yr over half of the applied sciences are being sourced instantly from distributors. This pattern displays the standard of our world-class and progressive provide chain and its position in serving to the sector speed up the transition to internet zero by creating new applied sciences,” he added.
“These embrace superior strategies like utilizing infra-red cameras to measure methane emissions and new strategies to cut back fuel flaring, and it’s good to see that round 30 % of operators are partnering with suppliers to develop options in partnership,” he continued.
In its 2022 Expertise Insights abstract findings, the NSTA famous that, because it started the annual Expertise Plan survey in 2018, “there has been regular development within the complete variety of operator reported applied sciences both in use/deliberate for use or recognized as a ‘want’”.
“In 2022, 1,080 discreet applied sciences had been referenced, this enhance contains elimination of some profitable applied sciences now thought-about mainstream and unsuccessful applied sciences which have been dropped following un-commercial pilot research,” it added.
“Manufacturing operations associated actions accounted for the best proportion of applied sciences reported (38 % of complete),” the NSTA continued.
Expertise is acknowledged by the NSTA as a key enabler to realize the oil and fuel trade’s goals on the UKCS, the NSTA notes on its web site, which provides that the revised NSTA Technique, which got here into pressure in 2021, reaffirms the position of know-how for maturation of hydrocarbon assets and expands that to supply of internet zero targets.
“Full worth from innovation will be realized by deploying applied sciences to scale within the UKCS,” the NSTA states on its website.
“A higher know-how uptake can then promote extra funding in R&D by the UK provide chain, to ship the following wave of applied sciences which are wanted,” it provides.
The NSTA co-chairs, together with trade, the Expertise Management Board (TLB), which represents a cross-section of trade and works with authorities and different stakeholders to undertake, adapt and/or develop oil and fuel applied sciences that assist the vitality transition and strengthen UK oil and fuel trade competitiveness, in line with the TLB’s website.
Its mission is to drive the event and deployment of recent and present know-how to allow the dual UKCS objectives of Maximizing Financial Restoration (MER UK) and attaining a internet zero basin by 2050, the TLB website highlights.
To contact the creator, e-mail andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com