Premier Oil has inked a deal with Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) for a North Sea decommissioning feasibility study on a monitoring buoy.
The PB3 PowerBuoy will be deployed on the Huntington field, with the project expected to start in October.
The wave-powered device will be trialed for three months, but can be kept in place for another six months if it proves to be a success.
The trial will assess the technology’s ability to prevent vessel intrusion while it monitors and guards the remaining well and subsea equipment on the field.
Pieter voor de Poorte, subsea decommissioning lead of Premier Oil, said: “This technology aligns with our goals of increasing safety, efficiency and operational effectiveness through the development and utilization of the most advanced technologies that support our oil and gas activities.
“The PowerBuoy system will deliver on all these aspects and offer a step change in our decommissioning planning processes. It also opens up potential future applications for intelligent, remotely controlled small field developments.”
George Kirby, president and chief executive officer of OPT, said: “We are excited about this new relationship and look forward to helping Premier Oil further enhance its operations.
“We believe our PowerBuoy could enable Premier Oil and other Operators to enhance the decommissioning planning process and at the same time ensure the safety of other users of the sea.
“The PB3 could potentially serve as an alternative to an on-site guard vessel, aiming to improve health, safety and environmental statistics and reducing operational costs while incorporating clean power into their offshore operations.”
