Maersk Drilling to launch first hybrid, low-emission rig
Maersk Drilling’s ultra-harsh environment jackup rig Maersk Intrepid is entering a series of upgrades to convert it to a hybrid rig with low levels of NOx emissions, adding data intelligence to further reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The upgrades are being carried out in cooperation with Maersk Intrepid’s current customer, Equinor, which has introduced compensation formats to stimulate emission reductions.
“The Maersk Intrepid project is the result of asking a simple yet challenging question: What would be the most efficient technological approach to minimizing emissions from a rig in the short term? The resulting ideas have been very positively received by Equinor and will contribute to Equinor’s long-term emission targets. It should be noted that the upgrades will not only produce a low-emission profile for the rig; they will also result in cost savings for our customer due to lower energy consumption, so this is business and low-emission targets working hand in hand,” Morten Kelstrup, CCIO of Maersk Drilling, said.
Maersk Drilling has successfully applied for project funding through the NOx Fund, a Norwegian industry fund dedicated to reducing NOx emissions. The fund is contributing a grant of up to 80% of project costs, subject to verification of the emission-reducing upgrades, and has high hopes for the coming upgrades of the Maersk Intrepid, which it sees as a benchmark for the offshore industry.
“The NOx Fund has requested these types of emission reduction projects for a long time, and finally they are being realized. Here, Maersk Drilling takes the lead by showing that cost-efficient measures to significantly reduce NOx can be combined with reduced CO2 emissions and improved fuel efficiency. Hopefully we will see more of these and similar solutions on board rigs going forward,” Tommy Johnsen, General Manager of the NOx Fund, said.
The first upgrade of Maersk Intrepid will be the installation of batteries for the hybrid power solution which is expected to be completed in July this year. The full implementation of all low-emission upgrades is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, and Maersk Drilling will use the learnings from Maersk Intrepid to evaluate how to proceed with potential upgrades to reduce emissions from other Maersk Drilling rigs.
“We observe a strong drive from both authorities and the industry on energy efficiency and emissions. With this combined solution, Maersk Intrepid will provide important data and learnings to build from,” Mr Kelstrup said.
Maersk Intrepid is an ultra-harsh environment XLE jackup rig which was built in 2014. It is currently contracted to Equinor for operational support on the Martin Linge field offshore Norway.
