Pipeline technology specialist, STATS Group, is in a strong position to capitalise on new opportunities arising in the transition to more sustainable energy supplies and a carbon net zero future.
With decades of experience working on oil and gas pipeline projects, the Aberdeenshire-headquartered company has at its disposal the skills and proven technologies to deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS), related CO2 pipelines, and natural gas pipelines blended with hydrogen.
STATS Group chief executive Leigh Howarth said: “STATS technologies have been helping our customers reduce emissions for 20 years. Our focus on innovation means we’re ideally placed to continue this support, not only in the traditional hydrocarbon sector, but also as the industry transitions to more sustainable energy supplies.”
With investment in both CCS and hydrogen projects accelerating, there is a growing focus on how existing pipeline infrastructure can be repurposed for both CO2 and blended or pure hydrogen transportation.
Over the past two decades, STATS Group has played a central role in numerous pipeline interventions, repairs and maintenance projects.
Such schemes have given the company a deep knowledge base of the very infrastructure that, in the future, may be repurposed.
In that same period, and directly relevant to CCS, STATS has established itself as the “go-to” provider of intervention and isolation services on high-pressure liquid CO2 pipelines.
Mr Howarth said: “After safely completing multiple workscopes for Kinder Morgan on their high-pressure (up to 138 bar) CO2 pipelines in New Mexico in the United States, we’re in an excellent position to support CCS infrastructure owners and operators with future pipeline maintenance and upgrade projects.
“Also with an eye to the future, STATS is partnering in a joint industry project with DNV and a number of pipeline owners and operators, looking at the implications on natural gas pipelines to transport natural gas blended with hydrogen.”
Notwithstanding the opportunities in CCS and hydrogen, STATS continues to support its customers to reduce emissions, recognising the pivotal role that natural gas is playing as the world seeks to reduce carbon emissions ahead of a longer term transition to more sustainable sources of energy.
© Supplied by STATS GroupUsing the company’s proprietary double-block-and-bleed pipeline isolation technologies, localised repair and maintenance worksites can be safely isolated without the need to depressurise large sections of the pipeline, thereby avoiding the need to discharge significant quantities of emissions into the atmosphere.
Mr Howarth added: “We’re excited about the future energy transition and the role STATS is playing in supporting our customers to achieve their net-zero goals.”
