ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth an estimated $270 million from the international energy company Statoil to supply an electric drive system for two new pre-compression units to improve production capacity and extend the lifespan of the world’s largest natural gas platform in the North Sea.
The Troll A concrete deep water structure is located 70 kilometers from the west coast of Norway. It is the tallest structure ever to be moved by mankind. As gas is extracted from the field, reservoir pressure falls and production declines. ABB’s delivery provides a clean and energy efficient source of power to help the platform improve production capacity.

“ABB has the oil and gas industry expertise, project execution resources and leading automation and power technologies that ensure efficient and reliable operations, no matter where they are located,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. “This compliments our successful history of delivering complex deep sea and offshore projects, and our long standing relationship with Statoil.”

The scope of supply for the project includes two compressor drive systems, each consisting of one 50 megawatt/66 kilovolt high-voltage motor, which will be used to boost the gas pipeline flow. ABB will also deliver two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission systems, including HVDC converters and subsea direct current cables to provide reliable power to the offshore equipment from the shore.

"Our HVDC Light technology is ideally suited to connect the platform to the mainland electrical grid, enabling it to receive clean emission free power-from-shore through undersea cables,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power system division. “We are pleased to follow up on the success of the first phase of this project when we provided a similar solution to Statoil.”

In 2005, Statoil inaugurated the first HVDC Light power-from-shore system for the first phase of the pre-compression program on the Troll A platform, connecting it with the converter station at the onshore facility.

This is ABB's sixth order for offshore applications of HVDC Light, showing that the technology is robust and withstands the harsh environment offshore. Besides power-from-shore installations, HVDC Light is also used to connect remote offshore wind generation to the mainland grid.