OPT Debuts for Premier in North Sea

Ocean Power Technologies said it has deployed its PB3 PowerBuoy in the North Sea for Premier Oil.

This latest deployment of a PB3 PowerBuoy will serve Premier as an autonomous intelligent platform to provide communications and remote monitoring services at Premier’s Huntington field in the central North Sea.

During the deployment, Premier will demonstrate the PB3 PowerBuoy capabilities, its ability to monitor the local environment and alert ships of the field’s safety zone as a potential solution to help with their future decommissioning related operations.

This deployment begins a nine months lease, subject to meeting a number of acceptance criteria in the first three months. The lease also includes an option to extend the initial nine-month lease, as well as a purchase option.

The project is backed by the Aberdeen-based Oil & Gas Technology Centre, which has provided co-funding, support and technical input to the monitoring requirements for the buoy.

Paul Williams, UK Business unit manager at Premier commented, “We are excited to be trialing the PB3 PowerBuoy at our operated Huntington field. This is a great opportunity to prove new technology which will enable us to minimise the environmental impact of our decommissioning programmes, whilst maintaining flexibility to deliver maximum economic recovery from our fields. Assuming success, we will look at the potential to deploy this technology on other assets and for different purposes, both in the UK and further afield.”

George H. Kirby, president and CEO of Ocean Power Technologies, said: “The process of deployment went very smoothly, with the PB3 PowerBuoy reaching its destination on schedule and at full operational readiness. We look forward to demonstrating the superior operational effectiveness of the PB3 PowerBuoy® to the world, demonstrating that the PB3 PowerBuoy can become the preferred solution for topside surveillance during decommissioning, and subsea well monitoring.”