Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) announced it will provide advanced automation and safety solutions to enable remote onshore operation for an unmanned offshore platform in the North Sea, reducing overall production costs and improving safety.

When drilling operations are completed, Statoil's Valemon platform, located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, will become a periodically-manned installation and Statoil's first platform that will be operated from shore. Control operations will be located in Bergen, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) away from the platform itself. Moving personnel off the facility will improve the overall safety of the operations while also boosting efficiency by centralizing the controls at the company's Bergen location.

"This project is a great example of how Honeywell is able to use its technology and experience to help Statoil remotely control operations at an important gas production facility," said Pieter Krynauw, vice president and general manager of the Projects and Automation Solutions business within Honeywell Process Solutions. "As companies move oil platforms farther offshore and into other remote, challenging locations to find oil and gas, managing those operations efficiently while reducing risk to workers will become increasingly important."

Honeywell will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) automation contractor for the project. Honeywell will provide a range of control and safety technologies for the project including new operator stations and critical alarm panels at the onshore Bergen operations center that will communicate with the systems on Valemon. This solution will reduce the complexity of remote operations and reduce overall operating costs compared with standard solutions.

The Valemon platform sits in about 440 feet (135 meters) of water and will produce natural gas and condensate from one of the biggest undeveloped natural gas fields in the North Sea with an estimated 192 million barrels of oil equivalent. Once drilling is complete in 2017, the platform will have 10 production wells.

Among the technologies Honeywell will provide are its Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS), integrated protective solutions, Critical Alarm Panel with Safety Manager, integrated fire and gas and emergency shutdown solutions, and closed circuit TV software.

About Honeywell Process Solutions

Honeywell Process Solutions is a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas; refining; pulp and paper; industrial power generation; chemicals and petrochemicals; biofuels; life sciences; and metals, minerals and mining industries. It is also a leader in providing software solutions and instrumentation that help manufacturers find value and competitive advantage in digital transformation through the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Process Solutions is part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com), a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.

About Honeywell

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials.

About Statoil

Statoil ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) is an international energy company with operations in 36 countries. Building on 40 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world's energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. We are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with approximately 23,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the Oslo and New York stock exchanges.