Hitachi Energy and Aker BP on schedule to a world record in the North Sea

World-first solution combining two power quality technologies to deliver renewables reliably and safely from the mainland power grid.
Hitachi Energy has received recently by Aker BP, the Norwegian oil and gas exploration and production company, the confirmation of the contract for the delivery of the complete energy system for the NOAKA project which – when completed – will become the world’s longest AC power-from-shore-system.

This means that Hitachi Energy will start construction and delivery of the advanced energy system to the NOAKA project in the North Sea, on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Hitachi Energy was selected as a technology partner and awarded the FEED study for the power-from-shore project in 2021, with an option to deliver the power quality solution.

We are happy that Aker BP confirmed his confidence on our pioneering power quality solution, which enables this vital project to be powered by emission-free renewables,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “We are eager to get started and demonstrate that this world-first solution will enable progress towards offshore renewable power installations that can be deployed at scale and with speed.”

“The study and the design give us confidence on how to deploy the energy system in a way that gives Aker BP the reliability, capacity and quality that they depend on.” said Steffen Waal, Country Managing Director of Hitachi Energy in Norway. “In this phase, we have leveraged the competency of our global experts on power electronics and power quality, and our experience from more than half a century of long-distance power connections.”

NOAKA will be supplied with power from shore through an approximately 250 km AC connection that will be the world’s longest of its kind. Using power from the mainland grid, mainly renewable hydropower, the operator will be able to reduce its carbon footprint related to its daily operations. The energy system will be the world’s first with a combined advanced power quality solution. Hitachi Energy will provide a 420 kV mainland grid connection, the high-performance STATCOM, SVC Light®, and thyristor-controlled series capacitors that will work as a single synchronized solution with the MACH™ control and protection system, ensuring stable and reliable operations at the platforms.

The energy system will have a capacity of 120 megawatts. Commissioning of the installations near the Oseberg and Alfheim fields in the North Sea will be 2027. Hitachi Energy has already started its engineering and component manufacturing planning for this project.