Siemens Supplies Lithium-ion Battery Solution For Offshore Drilling Rig
Called BlueVault, the solution consists of four converter-battery systems for a total maximum power of 6 megawatts. It will be installed on Northern Drilling Ltd.s’ West Mira offshore drilling rig, which will be operated by Seadrill Norway Operations Ltd. in the North Sea’s Nova Field, Siemens said in a news release. The sixth-generation, ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig, designed by Moss Maritime, will be the first modern drilling to operate on a low-emission hybrid (diesel-electric) power plant using lithium-ion energy storage.
“The integration of energy storage with the power supply and distribution system of a drilling rig represents an important step towards improving the environmental sustainability of the offshore oil and gas industry,” Bjørn Einar Brath, head of offshore solutions for Siemens, said in the release. “Offshore rigs have highly variable power consumption for drilling and dynamic positioning. By incorporating energy storage, it is possible to reduce the runtime of diesel engines and also keep them operating on an optimized combustion level. This ultimately leads to lower emissions.”