SSE and Equinor developing plans for hydrogen storage in West Yorkshire

 SSE Thermal and Equinor are developing plans for one of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facilities at their existing Aldbrough site on the East Yorkshire coast. The facility could be storing low-carbon hydrogen as early as 2028.The existing Aldbrough Gas Storage facility, which was commissioned in 2011, is co-owned by SSE Thermal and Equinor, and consists of nine underground salt caverns, each roughly the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Upgrading the site to store hydrogen would involve converting the existing caverns or creating new purpose-built...

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HyWind Scotland takes the crown for highest UK wind farm load factor

 For its third consecutive year, Hywind Scotland – the world’s first floating offshore wind farm – reaches the highest average capacity factor for any wind farm in the UK.With an average capacity factor of 57.1% in the twelve month period to March 2020, the floating offshore wind farm set a new record in the UK.During its first two years of operation, the wind farm achieved an average capacity factor of 54%. That compares to an offshore wind...

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Equinor: all three UK low-carbon projects receive government funding to mature concepts

All three of Equinor’s projects to deliver deep cuts in emissions from industries and support clean growth on the UK’s east coast have received public funding from UK authorities. With a combination of private and public funding, Equinor and its partners will now progress these projects in order to create the world’s first net zero industrial cluster by 2040.On 17 March 2021 the UK Government announced the funding awards under the UK’s Industrial...

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Partial electrification of Sleipner approved

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has approved a revised plan for development and operation (PDO) for partial electrification of the Sleipner field centre. The field centre will be tied to the Utsira High area solution, and Sleipner is expected to cut emissions by more than 150,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.“Partial electrification of the Sleipner field centre will contribute to major cuts in emissions from our activities and provide significant...

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Equinor selected for largest-ever US offshore wind award

Equinor has been selected to provide New York State with offshore wind power in one of the largest renewable energy procurements in the U.S. to date.Under the award, Equinor and incoming strategic partner BP will provide generation capacity of 1,260 megawatts (MW) renewable offshore wind power from Empire Wind 2, and another 1,230 MW of power from Beacon Wind 1 – adding to the existing commitment to provide New York with 816 MW of renewable power...

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Is Busta a bust?

Exploration well on the Busta prospect on PL782S has been drilled in 127m of water in the Jotun-Balder area of the Norwegian North Sea. It appears to be a marginal discovery with preliminary resource estimates of 6-60mmboe (vs. pre-drill 50-200mmboe). Two separate gas/condensate and oil-bearing intervals totaling ~25m were encountered -the primary target hitting the reservoir with the secondary target water bearing. Busta is...

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European gas storage is full

European gas storage is full and Equinor has highlighted three potential catalysts that could provide short term relief for the current super low European gas prices A delay to Nord Stream 2 due to sanctions The lack of a transit agreement with Ukraine A colder than expected winter The Nord Stream 2 project was expected to come onstream on 1 January 2020. However with ongoing concerns that the EU's reliance on Russian gas continues to grow...

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Dry well in the Barents near Korpfjell

The 7335/3-1 exploration well on Production Licence 859 has drilled a dry well. The partners on the licence are: Equinor 65% operator, Lundin 15%, DNO 20%. The licence lies in the Barents Sea and the 7335/3-1 well is located c.8km southeast of the Korpfjell gas discovery. Both the primary and secondary exploration targets encountered sandy and poor reservoirs. The well was drilled by the West Hercules drilling rig to 4,268m below the sea surface...

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Mediocre week for UK exploration

This week saw a disappointing well result in Rowallan and a mediocre result in Verbier. Rowallan The keenly watched wildcat drilled at the Rowallan prospect "was not found to be hydrocarbon-bearing”. The 22/19c-7 well was targeting 143mmbbl in a structural fault and dip-closed trap analogous to Total’s Culzean field 20km away. The well encountered a 182m section of sandstone and shale after being drilled to a depth of 4,641m . The Dundonald...

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Valuera nears TDs at Inanli-1

Valeura has reached 4,145m on the Inanli-1 well (TD 5,000m, c.800m deeper than Yamalik-1). It has encountered over-pressured gas with a c.40% net-to-gross, similar to that of Yamalik-1, with gas flows - all pointing to promising results. In addition, the well has encountered more naturally fractured rock than encountered in Yamalik-1 with increased gas levels recorded at the fractured intervals. Drilling is continuing to 5,000m with an extensive...

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PGNiG expands footprint in Norway

On 18th October PGNiG announced that it had agreed to acquire Equinor's interest in the Tommeliten Alpha gas and condensate field in the Norwegian North Sea. This continues PGNiG's strategy of diversifying its gas supply away from Russia. PGNiG has always had an interest in Norwegian gas seeing it as as logical and accessible source of gas for Poland. As the long term Russian gas supply contracts come to expiry, PGNiG is making bold moves to...

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Majors pick up acreage in Brazil

Equinor press release: Equinor, ExxonMobil and Petrogal Brasil presented the winning bid (75.49% profit oil) for the Uirapuru production sharing contract in the Santos basin. Petrobras exercised its right to enter the consortium and will be the operator with 30% equity. The final equity distribution is Petrobras (30% operator), Equinor (28%), ExxonMobil (28%) and Petrogal Brasil (14%). The pre-determined signature bonus to be paid by the bidding...

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