An Australian oil rig on battery power seemed a strange combination to us at first sight. Using renewable energy to extract non-renewable oil appeared to border on the absurd. Then, we realized the battery industry does not have enough capacity to take over yet. Besides, anything that helps counter carbon pollution deserves our vote.
ABB Partners To Get an Australian Oil Rig on Battery Power
Swiss-Swedish multinational Asia Brown Boveri is one of the largest engineering firms in the world. Its departments include robotics and motion, electrification products, industrial automation, and of course power grids.
Hence, a battery project represents a departure from ABB tradition. We could not even find the word ‘battery’ on its Wikipedia. Intriguingly, it saw an application on the Goodwyn oil-drilling platform, 135 kilometres offshore from the west coast of Australia. Perhaps it saw the North West Shelf Venture as a logical extension to its turnkey distribution grids.
Goodwyn A Is Part of Large Resource Development
Goodwyn Alpha commissioned in 1995 and cost $2 billion. There are 137 people on board capable of managing 30 production wells, of which it has 19 currently. With all the wind, solar, and tidal power out there, it makes sense to phase out the six aging gas turbine generators.
Their replacement will be a one-megawatt-hour lithium-battery storage system that could also power 230 homes for eight hours. By 2018, an Australian oil rig on battery power will need just one back-up generator on spinning reserve to guarantee abundant electricity.
An ABB spokesperson confirmed a ‘remote control brain’ will manage the system in the event the platform needs evacuation. Their green solution will save 2,000 tonnes of diesel fuel annually, while cutting total platform emissions by 5%. Every little bit helps save our world for our children.
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Preview Image: Semi Submersible Oil Platform
