Norsea, Apply TB pen Norway’s ‘largest’ onshore power supply deal

NorSea Group and Apply TB have signed what they describe as the largest ever onshore power supply contract in Norway.

According to NorSea, the company will build power supply facilities at four of its bases along the Norwegian coastline from Hammerfest in the north to Stavanger in the south, which will help reduce CO2 emissions from offshore vessels berthing in its bases. The bases will be operational from autumn 2018.

Investment in the project totals around 70 million NOK. This includes 52 million NOK funded by ENOVA.

Explaining further, NorSea said that onshore power supply gives vessels the option to hook up to the local electricity grid.

When berthed, ships require electricity to support activities such as loading, unloading, heating and lighting and other on board activities. The power is generally provided by auxiliary engines which emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and air pollutants, affecting local air quality and ultimately the health of both port workers and nearby residents and creates noise nuisance.

By opting for the alternative onshore hook up, operations can proceed uninterrupted, while eliminating negative side-effects. This leads to substantial environmental benefits, including reduction of CO2 and NOX emissions, lower noise levels at bases, improved energy efficiency and less reliance on ships’ on board energy supplies. Emission could be reduced by up to 15.000 ton CO2 per year, NorSea explained.

Large environmental benefits

NorSea Group CEO, John Stangeland, said: “This is a substantial investment for us, with great support from ENOVA, where all parties see the environmental and commercial benefits to be achieved through the project. Onshore power supply will lead to large environmental benefits, in addition to economic gains for customers through reduction in operating expenses on the ships’ machinery, reduction in energy consumption (emission costs) and better energy utilisation.”

The project will achieve total emission reduction of up to 15.000 ton CO2 per year. This is equal to annual CO2 emissions from more than 7,000 cars. Four supply bases will have onshore power supply facilities; Polarbase (Hammerfest), Vestbase (Kristiansund), NorSea (Dusavik) and NorSea (Tananger).

Once in place, supply vessels will be able to use onshore power on 80-90% of the supply bases along the Norwegian coastline. The facilities will be efficient in operation and easy to manage by the ships themselves, NorSea has promised.

NorSea Group Project Manager, Ralf Larsen, said: “The solution requires some refurbishment and adjustments on older ships, but more and more ship owners make the investments needed to facilitate this in order to reduce frequency of maintenance work as a result of the engine being used less with an onshore power supply.”

Power supply units by Apply TB

Apply TB will supply all the power supply systems for the project. The initial planning and engineering stage will be followed by the installation of voltage cables on bases before the units are installed by Apply TB.

Scheduled completion date is the 31^st October 2018. The onshore power supply systems will be manufactured in Bergen. Apply TB’s personnel and local partners carry out the on-site installations.

Regional Director for Apply TB, Yvonne Torgersen Hetlevik said: “To be a supplier of Norway’s largest contract for onshore power supply, is something we value highly, and we thank NorSea Group for the trust they are showing us in this project. The planning of the project has already started, and we are starting the building phase of the units around Christmas.”