North Sea platform designed to run on offshore wind gearing up for first gas by year-end (Video)

August 14, 2024, by Melisa Čavčić

The Netherlands-based exploration and production player ONE-Dyas is setting the stage for the final leg of its journey toward the first natural gas production at its recently installed platform about 20 kilometers north of the islands of Borkum, Rottumerplaat, and Schiermonnikoog, in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.

N05-A platform in the North Sea; Source: One-Dyas

After Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) wrapped up the transport and installation of the N05-A gas platform in the North Sea, which HSM Offshore Energy constructed for ONE-Dyas, next up on the agenda is the first gas, which is slated to be achieved by year-end. This project is set to be powered by offshore wind energy from the nearby Riffgat offshore wind farm.

According to the operator, the installation phase started with the lifting of the jacket and the platform (topside) from the quay at HSM Offshore Energy onto the transport vessel and reached its peak a week and a half later when the Sleipnir crane vessel placed it in the depths of the North Sea.

Once the jacket was hoisted and positioned exactly on the bottom of the sea, the topside’s turn came, with the platform floating through the air like a compact package to be attached to the jacket.

Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck, CEO of ONE-Dyas, highlighted: “We have already had some milestones, but this is a very important milestone. In peace and tranquility we put the platform on the jacket. It felt nice and safe. Truly an amazing milestone. A fantastic collaboration between HMC and ONE-Dyas.”

The N05-A platform is now firmly in place in the North Sea, following years of preparation, several hurdles, a court-ordered temporary halt of operations due to opposition to the project from climate activists, and a provisional ruling, which enabled ONE-Dyas and its partners, Hansa Hydrocarbons and EBN, to move forward with its planned activities for the project.

“An impressive achievement by all colleagues and companies involved. After this milestone, we are already fully engaged in the remaining work towards the ultimate goal: the first natural gas from the N05-A gas field by the end of 2024,” underlined the Dutch player.

The N05-A platform, designed as a permanent manned installation, will operate as a not normally manned installation (NNMI), making it an autonomous production location (APL). The export route is set to utilize a pipeline connected to the existing Noordgastransport (NGT) pipeline network, facilitating delivery to customers in the Netherlands and Germany.

Envisioned to be powered entirely by renewable energy from the 113.4 MW Riffgat offshore wind farm, built by EWE in 2013 as the first commercially operated wind farm in the German part of the North Sea, N05-A is expected to be the first electrified gas production platform in the North Sea.

With the platform slated to come into operation by the end of 2024, the volume produced from the surrounding prospects and the N05-A project, which is part of the so-called Gateway to the Ems (GEMS) area located approximately 20 to 80 kilometers north of the Ems estuary, is expected to be 4.5 to 13 billion normal cubic meters.