ABB, a Swiss-based power and automation technology group, has commissioned a subsea power link for Eni Norge’s field in the Barents Sea.
The power link will supply power from the Norwegian grid to the new Goliat Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading unit (FPSO).
According to the company, the 105.5-kilometer subsea power cable system is the longest of its kind in the world.
The Goliat field, located in the Barents Sea above Norway, will process up to 100,000 barrels of oil a day and store nearly a million barrels of oil, which will then be transferred to shore by tankers.
ABB’s high-voltage alternating current (AC) three-core cable system includes a 104-km long static cable section on the sea floor, and a 1.5-km long dynamic cable section.
The high power rating of the commissioned system will allow for it to be used on additional fields in the future, said the company. The 75 MW, 123 kV capacity link will supply about 50 percent of the platform’s electricity needs from shore, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by half as a result of reduced fossil fuel consumption in the gas turbines, ABB added.
ABB’s turnkey solution includes the design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the cable system.
The dynamic cable section hangs in the water between the platform and the seabed and has been specifically designed to withstand substantial mechanical stress and fatigue caused by currents, waves and the vertical movement of the platform.
Patrick Fragman , Managing Director of ABB’s Grid Systems business, said: “Reliable shore supplied power from the mainland grid will help to reduce the Goliat platform’s environmental impact, and ensure a safe and efficient operation.”
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