China’s oil and gas firm inaugurates power-from-shore project

China’s oil and gas company CNOOC Limited has commenced operations from its oilfields onshore power project located in Bohai Bay, which will supply electricity to 39 offshore production platforms.

The main facilities of the Bozhong-Kenli project include four offshore electric power platforms and one onshore high-voltage substation.

According to CNOOC, the project’s designed power transmission capacity is 520 MW, currently the largest scale onshore power project serving offshore oilfields in China.

The project will supply electricity to 39 offshore production platforms in the Kenli oilfields, Bozhong 19-6 condensate gas fields, and Bozhong 28-34 oilfields.

By 2025, the project is expected to support the production of about 400,000 barrels per day in the region, the Chinese player said.

Compared with self-generating electricity on the platforms, it is expected to save approximately 53,000 million cubic feet of natural gas and conserve 650,000 tonnes of standard coal, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 14,700 tonnes and carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million tonnes in a peak electricity consumption year.

Zhou Xinhuai, CNOOC CEO, said: “The successful commissioning of Bozhong-Kenli oilfields onshore power project will significantly enhance the reliability and stability of electricity supply to the company’s production in Bohai. It is also a major measure taken by CNOOC Limited to implement the green and low-carbon strategy. The project marks a new stage of using clean energy by the company.”

CNOOC announced yesterday that it had started production from the Kenli 6-1 oilfield 5-1, 5-2, 6-1 block development project in the Bohai Sea.

The main production facilities include one central platform and six unmanned wellhead platforms, with 107 development wells planned to be commissioned, including 67 production wells, 36 water injection wells and four water source wells.

The project represents the sixth that the company brought on stream offshore China since September.