Siemens said Dec. 7 it has supplied the world’s first lithium-ion battery energy storage solution for an offshore drilling rig.

Called BlueVault, the solution consists of four converter-battery systems for a total maximum power of 6 megawatts. It will be installed on Northern Drilling Ltd.s’ West Mira offshore drilling rig, which will be operated by Seadrill Norway Operations Ltd. in the North Sea’s Nova Field, Siemens said in a news release. The sixth-generation, ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig, designed by Moss Maritime, will be the first modern drilling to operate on a low-emission hybrid (diesel-electric) power plant using lithium-ion energy storage.

“The integration of energy storage with the power supply and distribution system of a drilling rig represents an important step towards improving the environmental sustainability of the offshore oil and gas industry,” Bjørn Einar Brath, head of offshore solutions for Siemens, said in the release. “Offshore rigs have highly variable power consumption for drilling and dynamic positioning. By incorporating energy storage, it is possible to reduce the runtime of diesel engines and also keep them operating on an optimized combustion level. This ultimately leads to lower emissions.”

The technology is expected to reduce the runtime of on-platform diesel engines by an estimated 42%, lower CO2 emissions by 15% and lower NOx emissions by 12%, which Siemens said is equivalent to annual emissions from about 10,000 vehicles.

The rig’s diesel-electric generators will charge the batteries. Uses include supplying power during peak load times and serving as backup to prevent blackouts and provide power to thrusters in the event of loss of all running machinery, Siemens said in the release.

Siemens said the energy storage solution is based on field-proven technology, which has been installed in more than 60 marine vessels worldwide.

Offshore