Biofuel, batteries and behaviour: steppingstones on the path to decarbonisation

Equinor has made no secret of its ambitions to meet net-zero carbon targets by 2050, and carbon-efficient OSV operations are vital to its environmental agenda. Biofuels, batteries and behaviour are some of the steppingstones on the pathway to the Norwegian energy company’s decarbonisation goal.

In March, it laid out its sustainability roadmap to shareholders in its Energy Transition Plan. Reduced methane emissions, electrification of its offshore oil and gas platforms, increasing use of shore power, and larger investments in renewables, ammonia, hydrogen and carbon capture are all on the table.

“Strong cashflow from a highly focused, carbon-efficient oil and gas business will fund its transformation,” claimed Equinor chairman of the board Jon Erik Reinhardsen and chief executive and president Anders Opedal in the opening of the report.

Not overlooked in its Energy Transition Plan is the role OSVs can play on the journey through improved fuel consumption, reduced emissions, optimised logistics and use of alternative fuels. As one of the world’s largest charterers of tankers and OSVs — it might have 175 vessels fixed globally at any one time — Equinor is looking to OSV owners to support its carbon emissions reductions. Equinor wants to halve its maritime emissions in Norway by 2030 and global maritime emissions by 2050.

Testing biofuel

“To reach our ambition of becoming a net-zero energy company by 2050, we’re constantly working with various technologies that can help reduce the carbon emissions from our operations. Using biofuel instead of ordinary marine distillate can reduce cargo ship emissions by 65-90 %,” said Equinor in a social media post in May.

Equinor conducted its first test of advanced biofuel on the platform supply vessel (PSV) Juanita at the Mongstad supply base. The test trial was a collaboration carried out in conjunction with the vessel’s engine manufacturer Wärtsilä, fuel supplier, Ugland Supplier AS and experts in exhaust analysis, according to Equinor. Built to DNV class and fitted with a 678-kWh Corvus Orcas energy storage system, the hybrid-battery-powered, Salt 100 PSV design Juanita has been under charter to Equinor since 2014. Last year, the Norwegian energy company exercised its first one-year option under its contract extending its charter to mid-June 2022. The contract contains a further two one-year options. Juanita is one of 19 hybrid-battery OSVs under charter to Equinor.

Like Shell, Equinor has deep experience in alternative fuels, having been a pioneer in operating LNG dual-fuel vessels in the offshore oil and gas sector, starting with Viking Energy almost 20 years ago.

“Equinor has rewarded first-movers in zero-emissions fuel with long-term charters”

In 2015, Shell chartered Harvey Energy, the first in a series of LNG dual-fuelled PSVs built to ABS class, from Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf International Marine (HGIM) for operation in the US Gulf of Mexico. The addition of a battery-hybrid solution and a pilot project involving the use of renewable LNG have progressed these PSVs towards carbon-neutrality.

In March, Equinor fixed Eidesvik Offshore’s LNG-hybrid-electric Viking Prince for six months, with options, following the PSV’s battery and shore-power upgrade in January.

Eidesvik and Wärtsilä signed a co-operation agreement aimed at converting an OSV to operate with ammonia-fuelled combustion engines, including fuel supply and safety system. The Apollo project will be the first of its kind in the world and has a provisional completion target of 2024.