ABB pioneers microgrid solution for installation on offshore platform

ABB will provide Woodside, Australia’s largest independent oil and gas company, with a PowerStore™ Battery storage system that is capable of remote management of operations and service.

The system will be installed on the Goodwyn A platform. This innovative ABB solution will contribute to Woodside’s 2020 goal of reducing carbon emissions and will help lower cost of operations and maintenance.

The Goodwyn A offshore production platform is located about 135 km northwest of Karratha in Western Australia and has been operating since 1995. The 55,000 ton production facility is more than 290 meters tall and stands in a water depth of 131 meters. The platform combines production, re-injection, utilities and accommodation facilities.

Dry gas and condensate from surrounding reservoirs is transported via a network of pipelines to Goodwyn A and then sent on-shore to the Karratha Gas Plant for processing. Goodwyn A is designed for up to 30 production wells, including five re-injection wells, and has a daily production capacity of up to 36,000 tons of gas and 11,000 tons of condensate.

ABB’s containerized, plug-and-play ABB Ability PowerStore battery storage system will support Goodwyn A’s existing gas turbine generators. The battery will replace one of the six existing gas turbine generators and will also reduce the need for using the emergency diesel generator.

Short term backup will be provided via the new battery energy storage system incorporated within the microgrid, to provide a ‘spinning reserve’. A dedicated ABB Ability Microgrid Plus control system will act as the brain of the solution and it will also be possible to remotely operate the microgrid if the need arises or the platform has to be de-manned for any reason.

“We are pleased to partner with Woodside on pioneering a PowerStore Battery energy solution for offshore oil and gas, which will reduce environmental impact and optimize costs”, said Massimo Danieli, head of ABB’s Grid Automation business within the company’s Power Grids division. “Microgrids and energy storage are key focus areas of our Next Level strategy and this innovative solution reinforces ABB’s position as a partner of choice in enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid”.

ABB is a pioneer in microgrid technology with over 40 such global installations, across a diverse range of applications serving remote communities, islands, utilities and industrial campuses.

15 of these solutions are in Australia.