Energy Focus September 2022

OFFSHORE DRILLING

RAISING THE STANDARD OF DRILLING OPERATIONS

An unrivalled reliable drilling contractor serving the energy market. A competitive player in harsh and benign environments, serving the ultra-deep, deep and shallow water markets, promoting a high performance culture and constantly open to innovation. Always keen on pursuing a no compromise HSE policy.

//Data, insight, knowledge, and information are just as much a part of the energy industry as steel, cable, cranes and engineers. Reliable data is the cornerstone of development, and without good info, investors cannot sanction projects. Without money, we get no power. Prices rise, and we face immense challenges. But good data must be displayed in a way that is accessible. Gone are the days of bible-like books, packed with seemingly endless technical industry language. Today, the dissemination of knowledge in a concise, visually appealing, and digestible fashion is vital.

RBN Energy understands this and, from its office in Houston, delivers a daily blog into the mailbox of tens of thousands of industry professionals, helping them to understand the happenings in the industry, giving the ability to make better decisions.

Similarly, at Core Specialist Services in Aberdeen, using VR and other modern technologies, the company is making core analysis information much easier to view and understand, allowing clients from multiple sectors to make informed choices about production, and allowing the company itself to expand and diversify.

Merlin ERD is also pioneering education for drilling engineers, helping to understand more about the challenges of complex wells when producing oil and gas that still powers so much of our lives. Without this effective knowledge transfer, challenging but highly lucrative assets will forever go un- or under-developed – unacceptable in times of energy insecurity.

Our focus this month is on those who take data and information seriously, and the success they have achieved by using and distributing intelligence in the best way possible.

Get in touch and tell us more about how your company collects, uses, and shares data, and the advantages this has given you. We’re online at LinkedIn.

INDUSTRY FOCUS: AUTOMOTIVE

MCMURTRY AUTOMOTIVE

An Electric Symbol of What is Possible

PRODUCTION: David Hill

The mighty McMurtry Spéirling is small but fast and with great range. In fact, it is the fastest car ever to ascend the hill climb at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed. Powered by an ingenious battery pack and fan system, this energetic innovation is reimagining what is possible through pioneering engineering. Director Thomas Yates tells Energy Focus more about progress for this ambitious British company.

In the midst of the global energy transition – as electric vehicles and alternate fuels power more of our life – there is a need for symbolism around what is possible. Not just from a technology and efficiency perspective but with imagination and ingenuity – at the top end of the spectrum, at the limit of what is possible.

Like in the fossil fuel powered

world of the past, human curiosity has resulted in some of the most iconic and important developments of our time. From rockets that leave our world behind, to power plants that fuel nations, to vehicles faster than the speed of sound – it is critical that people open new horizons.

Since the world’s first electric vehicle was launched in the 1800s, the

industry has been on an interesting journey vying for position, and even existence, as hydrocarbon-powered movement became the norm. From early 14 mph battery powered carriages through to the modern, fast-charging electric cars of today, much has been achieved. But a new era of invention is opening up as our understanding of technology advances quickly.

McMurtry Automotive, an niche British supercar maker, has been developing a wild idea since 2016. Displaying untamed ambition, and outrageous appetite for innovation, this is a business set to challenge what is realistic with beautiful cars for road and track, generating zero emissions, that go beyond what anyone ever thought possible from a car powered by batteries.

McMurtry is based in Gloucestershire, on an engineering site home to some of motorsports most creative and mighty brains. Importantly, the company is backed by namesake Sir David McMurtry – a

brilliant technology and engineering mind and former Deputy Chief Engineer for Rolls-Royce, developing the Olympus Concord engine.

THUNDERING TO FASTEST

The company’s crest is a Peregrine Falcon, the world’s fastest animal capable of moving at 242 mph while diving for prey, apt for a company chasing aerodynamic efficiency. McMurtry’s first car is called the Spéirling – Irish for

thunderstorm. Clearly, something exciting is expected from within this electric vehicle visionary.

Director Thomas Yates tells Energy Focus that the heavy research and development that has gone into the McMurtry Spéirling is now showing signs of apotheosis.

“Our major focus is the development, delivery, and manufacture of the McMurtry Spéirling which will be a fully electric, road legal vehicle with utterly stunning

performance, using previously forbidden technologies in a very nostalgic, historic form factor, the same size as a 1960s Grand Prix car. Bringing all of that fun and excitement to the road in a guilt-free, fully electronic form with ludicrous performance on the track – we are not building a luxury cruiser, it’s intended to be an electric track car that is road legal – that is our key project.”

Far from the plugin passenger cars that are becoming increasingly common today, this is a concept beyond the realms of what was

previously thought possible. Small, fast, powerful, and nimble, the car is testing components to the absolute extreme end of their capability. After the idea for this ground-breaking vehicle was established in 2016, many iterative developments have taken place. Today, the Spéirling is a record breaker and the envy of the industry.

“We have a car that will do 0-60 in under 1.5 seconds, comfortably, with rear wheel drive only, on pretty much any tarmac. In an automotive space, where the key

differentiation for electric vehicles is acceleration performance, that is a major achievement,” smiles Yates.

According to the company, the car combines torque advantage of electric powertrains with fan powered downforce to provide “never-beforeseen pace through tight corners”. Handmade, each car is described as a masterpiece – visually it is artistic and provoking. Using fan-based downforce technology, there is instant suction, fuelling track domination. When a road car is produced in the coming years, the company expects it to be the ‘wildest electric car ever to wear number plates’.

At the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed - an automotive show and exhibition at Goodwood House in the south of England – the Spéirling tore up the record book, ripping through the famous 1860m hill climb track which rises 92.7m. With a time of 39.08 seconds, many were shocked

OUR MAJOR FOCUS IS THE DEVELOPMENT, DELIVERY, AND MANUFACTURE OF THE MCMURTRY SPÉIRLING WHICH WILL BE A FULLY ELECTRIC, ROAD LEGAL VEHICLE WITH UTTERLY STUNNING PERFORMANCE

MCMURTRY AUTOMOTIVE

that driver Max Chilton was able to deliver such performance in front of 150,000 spectators from a car unveiled the previous year as a demonstrator. Chilton himself, previously a Formula 1 driver, hinted that the car had more to offer. “I was shocked as a I fluffed a few corners,” he said.

For the delighted team, questions quickly began rolling in about the future of the company and its strategy going forward. Thomas Yates was clear that road cars will be a part of the long-term future.

“Over the next three years, we hope to continue to develop the McMurtry Spéirling to attempt to deliver different and exciting records, perhaps going back to do more exciting things at Goodwood in the future, but also to dig deep and heavily focus on the design and developments of the road legal car to get to testing and development so that we can ramp up towards high quality production,” he says.

ROAD LEGAL POWER

When it comes to production of road cars, the top end of the market is saturated with many of the world’s most prominent brands producing electric sports cars. But McMurtry is differentiating itself by focussing on single seaters; small cars, with big range, and powerful motors.

In electric vehicles, ensuring minimal compromises and not carrying redundant space is so important, according to Yates. “Aerodynamic efficiency is fundamental to range in EV,” he reminds. “If your efficiency is made worse by having two seats, then you need a bigger battery and that makes you heavier and you get into a vicious circle. We are focussed on delivering a car in a tiny package that will do more than 300 miles range, weighing well under a ton, with performance on a race track that is second to none.”

The technology used is hailed by industry commentators as game

changing. The fan system that pulls the racing car downwards is a reimagination of technology from the 1970s which saw the Brabham BT46B win the Swedish Grand Prix before being banned. On the road, the fan system will be disengaged, but they will have the rear wing to achieve downforce and will likely keep the U-shaped battery mounting that sits around the driver’s feet and legs.

The battery technology used is remarkable and Yates is proud of the engineering that has gone into the end product. From a team of just 22, in a company just six years old, the achievements to date are nothing short of exceptional.

“When looking at highperformance vehicles, McMurtry Automotive has a remarkable technology that we have had to develop to deliver the car that we have shown. The previous fastest car to go up that hill ended up having to run a hillclimb-special very low-capacity,

INDUSTRY FOCUS: AUTOMOTIVE

not have felt comfortable showing the downforce systems or the U-shaped battery pack if we had not had very good patent protection in place.”

David McMurtry and Yates have always placed originality at the heart of the business and, like the battery pack at the heart of the Spéirling, this powerful ethos has helped to develop growth avenues beyond just motorsport.

“Fundamentally as a business, what we are trying to achieve, is to be the global leader in manufacturing the world’s most amazing small vehicles,” confirms Yates. “Hopefully, we are someway on the road to achieving that. We have a very significant second string of business which is focussed around energy storage. The primary focus there is delivering battery solutions to customers who need batteries that are incredibly compact but high power and high energy density; so motorsport, high-end automotive, and other sectors where size and mass is really important.”

lightweight battery pack that was specific to just one run. The car that we ran at Goodwood was carrying a large capacity 60kWh battery pack, capable of multiple runs. It highlights quite how insane and amazing our technology is that we are able to deliver something to bold,” he says.

“When we talk about cars, we are one of the few vehicle manufacturers that is heavily focussed on single seaters. There are a few but they are few and far between, and we are probably the only one in the electric space. We are really focused on delivering the world’s most amazing cars that don’t carry around a redundant seat most of the time,” he adds.

INNOVATION PROTECTION

As a business, McMurtry – like its founder – continues to innovate and come up with not only new processes and applications for technology, but highly valuable intellectual property.

When Sir David McMurtry invented the 3D touch-trigger probe to solve an industrial measurement problem, protection of his idea allowed him to grow Renishaw, a world leading organisation with 4000 people across 35 countries. Today, he is named on 47 patents at Rolls-Royce and 150 at Renishaw. Yates was quick to establish protection as the company’s ideas became obviously valuable.

“We have a great partnership with Mewburn Ellis who has been our intellectual property partner,” details Yates. “That has been such a core part of our business. We have looked at ways of building a really strong foundation for this business and a key cornerstone of that is a strong IP portfolio that gives us the freedom to capitalise on the inventions that we are developing without fear of being copied. This partnership was key to us being able to show our technology on the international stage – we would

Here, the proof of execution within the Spéirling under severe strain is exactly what is required when explaining to potential clients what is possible. Complementing the deep knowledge within the company, McMurtry calls on a formidable supply chain to bring novel solutions to problems. Thankfully, some of the world’s foremost businesses are working with McMurtry to advance the concepts and ideas across all aspects of the company.

“Another strategic technical partner who helps us deliver an advantage is Molicel, a niche advanced cell supplier, who we are working with to explore the boundaries of cell technology. Close relationships are key to developing at a fast pace in this sector; key staff from both Mewburn Ellis and Molicel were at Goodwood to further experience and learn from the project first hand, which compounds technical progress” adds Yates. Importantly, the procurement process is driven by engineers and is centred on quality over price.

“As a business, we try to empower

Thomas Yates, McMurtry Managing Director with Max Chilton, British Racing Driver at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022

Using IP to drive innovation

How we can help

Our deep understanding of automotive technologies and awareness of the commercial realities and changing needs of this sector means we can design and deploy an intellectual property strategy that is right for you.

Our specialists include Engineers and Chemists who possess an array of experience in fields including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

(ADAS), Composites, in particular sustainable composites (essential if the automotive industry is to meet its ambitious sustainability targets), Battery Technologies, Tyres and Automotive Safety as well as Data Ownership & Security and Standard Essential Patents (SEPs).

Read our Automotive Special Report to find out about how the industry is evolving.

“As the automotive sector continues to shift through the gears, it is increasingly important for companies to develop their IP strategies.”

Simon Parry Partner, Patent Attorney

INDUSTRY FOCUS: AUTOMOTIVE

our engineering team to do whatever they need to do to get the job done. The structure that we have operated up until now is one where engineers can find suppliers that they trust. They purchase, they have a relationship, and they do all the interaction. That means they cover a broad role. Naturally, that will transition as we move into larger production, but certainly from a R&D perspective, our engineers have managed the supply chain,” explains Yates, adding that the relationship across the supply chain is fantastic even in an industry where lead times are often very long.

“It is important, where you can, to have as few people in the chain as possible. Knowledgeable, technical buyers – having not designed the

component – may not have the same view on the compromises made and what is really important. We are in a unique, lucky position right now where the people designing the parts can be the people that spend the money.”

NO EXCUSES

Currently, McMurtry is taking statements of interest online from potential customers, building a database of those that could possibly drive a road-legal version from their home, to work, and then onto a track. The road legal version will be loud too, avoiding the whining hum of other electric cars, instead living up to its name. Importantly, the focus on performance and quality will never cease.

“Christian von Koenigsegg said

to me: ‘At this price point there are no excuses’ and he was absolutely right about that. The key thing for us is quality. Especially when you are in a R&D phase, and someone produces a part that doesn’t meet your requirements, that can really put you back,” says Yates.

And the price point, yet to be revealed, looks set to be just as exciting. Promising quality above all, Yates is excited: “Quality is guaranteed,” he states. “Looking forward to us producing road legal variants of the car, inherently, due to the extreme technologies and the extreme lengths that we have pushed everything to, the price point of the road legal car is certainly in the seven-figure category.”

Going forward, the company has much to be proud of but much work to do. As much as it has been a busy journey from 2016 to date, there is now the pressure of expectation as attention turns to production of a road legal car. The automotive world is desperate to see what McMurtry can do on a wider scale, and the energy sector is keen to see how the technology used in the car can

be

CHRISTIAN VON KOENIGSEGG SAID TO ME: ‘AT THIS PRICE POINT THERE ARE NO EXCUSES’ AND HE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT THAT. THE KEY THING FOR US IS QUALITY

rolled out across new applications.

“We have not promoted the fact that we have a strong battery offering yet. It has organically grown from the recognition we get speaking to people through the automotive networks we meet. We can offer a performance benefit in terms of performance, mass, or volume on the battery pack side,” says Yates.

“The intention is to be global in

terms of the product offering, but there are some markets that are easier to reach depending on which product we talk about. We are seeing a lot of interest in the vehicles from the US market. With batteries, there has been a lot of interest in the UK and Europe.”

The market for electric vehicles is significant and continues to surge. 6.4 million units were sold in 2021 alone, up 26% on the previous year – the fastest growing of any industry segment. The market will boom as part of the global energy transition, and even in motorsport attitudes are changing –just look at the popularity of Formula E.

“Reasonably clear direction from legislators, especially in the UK, has been helpful,” says Yates, formerly of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. “It is relatively consistent across the western world - there has been a strong push from legislators. The most profound thing in the UK has been the air quality drivers associated with cities. It makes it very inconvenient to drive an older combustion car into cities. Although the fundamentals of electric cars really help to facilitate dealing with

climate change problems, the more aggressively strong driver is air quality. That has brought it heavily to the fore.”

To get people thinking about substantial uptake of electric vehicles, saving a significant chunk of CO2 from entering our atmosphere, there must be enthusiasm and zeal from both business and the general public. Ambition like that displayed at McMurtry is a great symbol –smaller, faster, further, all electric.

“The McMurtry Spéirling is a good case study of something we have engineered entirely in house and manufactured to show the world what is possible. We are getting people excited and that is a good thing,” says Yates.

“We are going to steadily expand as a company. We are soon to go through a round of recruitment as we go through this exciting transition phase, taking the technologies and moving them into production,” he concludes.

BWSC Continues to Evolve to Provide Ever Better Energy

PRODUCTION: Rob Fenton

From its Allerød headquarters, north of Copenhagen, BWSC has been behind the design and construction of hundreds of power plants around the world. Traditionally the leader in global energy solutions for engine- and boiler-based plants, BWSC is now teaming up with plant owners in Europe and beyond to tackle new challenges around the green energy transition.

INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENGINEERING

//With origins in the stationary engine division of Burmeister & Wain, which built and installed diesel engines from the turn of the 20th century, in 1980 BWSC was founded as a separate company that developed solutions for highefficiency power plants. Experts for more than 40 years and operating worldwide, BWSC provides expert consulting, engineering, installation, operation and maintenance services through a diverse staff of seasoned experts, full technology independence and 360-degree lifecycle solutions.

In addition to its base in Denmark, BWSC has subsidiaries all over the world established in connection with its turnkey power plant and boiler projects, as well as its many operation and maintenance contracts. Currently, BWSC has extensive activities in Northern Europe, West Africa and the Caribbean. Of BWSC’s more than 700 employees globally roughly 200 are based at its headquarters, and the remainder are integral to these widespread project sites involved in construction, commissioning or operation, maintenance and service of power plants.

“We describe ourselves as

professional service providers for both power plant and other energy infrastructure owners,” opens CEO Nikolaj Holmer Nissen, “driven by our mission to deliver world class sustainable energy solutions by helping customers gain more value from their energy investments by increasing productivity, improving fuel efficiency, and optimising operations.”

The majority of these customers are utilities, independent power producers or companies that generate electricity for their own use, Nissen says.

“Regardless of their industry, role, facility type or project size, our customers rely on us to help them achieve their goals, overcome any challenges along the way and reduce their carbon footprint.”

FULL PACKAGE

With much of the world’s power and heat generation emanating from boiler-based plants, primarily in Europe, BWSC provides these facilities with lifetime extensions, efficiency improvements, capacity increase, fuel conversion, proven turnkey O&M contracts and more. “Historically this has been centred around boiler-based and engine-based plants, with a focus on technical services, engineering, operation and maintenance, and project management over a maybe 15- or 20-year contract,” Nissen explains.

“We do everything to ensure a robust source of energy production for the owner, as well as a stable cost base for the running thereof. Since our O&M contracts are typically long-term and draw on the local workforce, our operation companies become an integrated part of the surrounding communities, adding value and know-how.

“We also carry out operations on a technical service agreement, over a shorter period, including work like

Nikolaj Holmer Nissen, CEO

welding and regular maintenance on a client’s facility, as well as more ad-hoc rehabilitation works and lifetime extension projects, for example. We see a clear need to secure a stable supply of power by

continually extending our servicing offering at these fossil-based plants.”

Optimising, or changing, the very nature of an existing plant, is a project area coming increasingly to the fore for BWSC. “This could entail fuel conversions, within the engine-based plants, from oil to gas or from heavy to lighter fuel oils, while in the boilerbased business we are seeing a lot of changes from coal to either biomass or gas. Within power plants already using biomass there are then often restrictions in terms of the flexibility in the fuels that can be used, and there we can help clients to change that configuration or broaden it over time if the supply of biomasses changes.”

Whether an EPC contractor looking for a reputable O&M provider for a greenfield facility, or a utility company looking for experts to

deliver technical support, inspections, conversions or upgrades to an existing plant, BWSC is on hand with this most comprehensive set of services for what we might term ‘traditional’ power plant owners, backed by the expertise and flexibility accrued from its work on hundreds of sites around the world.

The 38.5-MW straw-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Sleaford

Renewable Energy Plant is a superb example, where BWSC has been responsible for the operation and maintenance since commissioning in 2014, and which it also constructed.

The biomass plant meets the electricity demand of around 65,000 homes and provides low-cost renewable heat to civic and sports facilities in the town of Sleaford. And BWSC was asked this year to extend the O&M contract until 2034.

“We are very pleased with this

// WE ARE DRIVEN BY OUR MISSION TO DELIVER WORLD CLASS SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS BY HELPING CUSTOMERS GAIN MORE VALUE FROM THEIR INVESTMENTS

INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENGINEERING

extension of our existing contract,” Nissen elaborates. “We are proud that our continued performance on the Sleaford facility and similar biomass plants in the UK gives Greencoat Capital the confidence to extend the contract with BWSC. It both extends the duration and broadens our scope slightly, and undoubtedly these long-term partnerships in the running of their plants is a pivotal part of our business.”

FRESH FOCUSES

The industry has changed almost wholesale since 1843 and BWSC’s earliest industrial roots, but the current global energy sector is experiencing arguably its most seismic shifts to date. “Since last year, we have been exploring our role within more green-

focussed energy technologies and solutions,” says Nissen, “such as energy storage, carbon capture, power-to-X.” Power-to-X refers to a number of electricity conversion, energy storage and reconversion pathways that use surplus electric power and are especially useful in energy systems with high shares of renewable generation in achieving decarbonisation targets.

“It is this sphere which is presenting perhaps the most promising opportunities for us to make use of our competences built up over more than 40 years of work within traditional power plants, and to deploy these within this new area. BWSC is evolving to better help our customers succeed, and have refined our role in the industry as a provider of technical, operational,

projects and advisory services not only for diesel, hybrid, and boiler-based power plants, but now also for other types of green energy facilities and technology developers. Specifically, BWSC helps clients realize power-tohydrogen projects by contributing with our strong engineering, technology integration and installation expertise.

“These exciting technologies such as electrolysis and thermal energy storage are placing new demands on the design, operation and maintenance of the facilities where they are installed, but BWSC has worked with renewable energy solutions such as biomass- and waste-to-energy for years and are experts at integrating different power generation sources and systems to become a highly efficient,

MS-Flowtechnic ApS is a progressive company specializing in design and production of gas regulating stations and process plants for flammable gasses. We supply turnkey solutions of the highest quality constructed from customer specifications in a wide range of areas such as industry and power plants.

ms-flowtechnic.dk/en ms@ms-flowtechnic.dk company/ms-flowtechnic-aps BWSC

high-performing power plant.”

Nissen also details the reasoning behind the company’s recent complete overhaul of its branding at this stage of its partial transition. “It is in part aimed at repositioning our company and fully adopting a new role as a service provider, first and foremost, having been known more until now as a turnkey provider, while rebranding BWSC more actively within green energy solutions. We have refined our role in the industry and have launched a new corporate identity that better captures our spirit today as well as a new slogan: ever better energy.”

Strong results since the adoption of its new strategy in November 2020 have unambiguously validated the shift from supplying turnkey power plants to delivering comprehensive advisory and technical services, Nissen summates. “Much of 2021 involved implementing the new strategy, and doing so has paid off in our first positive financial result in five years,” he says, going on to outline the all-encompassing prospect that BWSC presents today.

“Our services help customers continuously improve plant reliability and availability, improve profitability via greater efficiency, modernise with

the latest technologies, reduce their carbon footprint, start the transition to green energy, and operate and maintain their facilities cost-effectively,” Nissen wraps up. “Our vast experience with power plant infrastructure puts us in a unique position to assist green energy players with the services we’ve been perfecting for decades, backed by broad experience, technology independence, a wealth of engineering talent and more than four decades of energy facility expertise.

“We will continue to go the extra mile to provide and operate power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources worldwide.”

HINKLEY POINT C

Wide-Ranging, Life-Changing

Environmental, Social and Economic Benefits

Hinkley Point C in Somerset is the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in over 20 years, an imminent provider of low-carbon electricity for around six million homes - 7% of the UK’s electricity. A summer of heavy lifting has ensured successful completion of several feats of engineering, with the project already pouring millions into communities and training alike to maximise its impact near and far.

PRODUCTION: Christina Allcock

INDUSTRY FOCUS: NUCLEAR

© EDF Energy

//Under construction at Hinkley Point C are two new nuclear reactors, the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in Britain which will pave the way for the creation of thousands of jobs and bring lasting benefits to the UK economy. When complete, the site will furnish around six million homes with zero-carbon electricity, with the planned twin unit UK European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) capable of generating 3,260MW of secure electricity for 60 years.

EDF Energy made the final

decision to build at Hinkley Point in September 2016, the first nuclear power station to be financed entirely by two private companies in EDF Energy and China General Nuclear Power Group. Construction and operation of Hinkley Point C will create 25,000 employment opportunities, up to 1000 apprenticeships and some 64% of the project’s construction value is set to benefit UK companies; to date, £4.1 billion has been spent with companies in the South West alone.

“Marking a significant milestone in the revitalisation of our nuclear

power industry, Hinkley Point C will make a major contribution to the UK’s move to reduce carbon emissions,” EDF sets out. “The electricity generated by its two EPR reactors will offset nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, or 600 million tonnes over its 60-year lifespan.

“Hinkley Point C’s contribution to fighting climate change means that it will have a large, positive impact on the environment.”

HEAVY LIFTING

In July Hinkley Point C was readying itself for yet further spectacular feats of engineering, with the precision placement of 5000 tonne coolingwater intakes on the seabed. Each intake head is four times longer than and twice as high as a double-

// THE PROJECT PROVES THAT THE TRANSITION TO NET-ZERO CAN ALSO DELIVER HUGE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS //

decker bus, connected to five miles of tunnels used to circulate coolingwater for the new power station.

All four of Balfour Beatty’s 5000 tonne intake heads were loaded onto a barge at Bristol Port’s Avonmouth facility, joined by two outfall heads as the six structures then made their way across the Bristol Channel.

“This starts a summer of complex offshore operations,” responded Ian Beaumont, Project Director Marine Civils at Hinkley Point C at this momentous moment, “with teams working in collaboration to deliver an incredible feat of engineering.

“It demonstrates the continued progress being made at Hinkley Point C.”

The structures will cap the tunnels which will supply Hinkley Point C’s

two nuclear reactors with cooling water, and their colossal size means that water will enter the intakes slowly, reducing the number of fish entering the cooling pipes. Hinkley Point C will be the first power station around

the Bristol Channel to have such fish protection measures in place.

In addition, they are installed sideways to the tidal flow, alongside screens and an innovative system whereby fish

INDUSTRY FOCUS: NUCLEAR

will be transferred back to sea.

Roger Frost, Project Director at Balfour Beatty, echoed Beaumont’s recognition of the significance of the works. “Today marks yet another exciting milestone in the construction of Hinkley Point C with the arrival of some of the largest heavy lift vessels in the world, on site,” he enthused. “We are now readying ourselves to successfully complete our next feat of engineering:

lowering the head structures, which will support the nuclear power station’s critical water-cooling system, to the very bottom of the Bristol Channel.”

CHANGING LIVES

“Hinkley Point C is making incredible progress on-site in terms of construction,” EDF is at pains to convey, and it is undeniable that construction has stepped up following the subsiding of the pandemic, with 8000 people currently at work on site. At its peak, Hinkley Point C will be the largest construction site in Europe. “But we are also working hard to make sure the project benefits are accessible to people and businesses across the South West and the rest of the UK,” the company continues.

“The benefits range from increasing local employment and creating a sustainable regional supply chain, to investing in new

training facilities and the community.”

To date, more than £13 million has been awarded to community initiatives in the South-West from Hinkley Point C’s Community Funds, which have provided vital support to local charities, voluntary organisations, local authorities and other groups across the region.

A total of £20 million will be apportioned during the project’s construction phase. “Our community funding is changing lives for the better now and for many years to come,” effused Andrew Cockcroft, Senior Community Relations Manager at Hinkley Point C.

“The Hinkley Point C Community Fund is helping organisations of all sizes in communities around Hinkley Point C or affected by the construction of Hinkley Point C, improving lives in the process,” added Val Bishop, Programmes Director at

// THE ENERGY CRISIS HAS SHOWN THE NEED FOR HINKLEY POINT C’S RELIABLE, LOW-CARBON ELECTRICITY IS MORE URGENT THAN EVER //

Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), which administers the grants.

Energy Minister Greg Hands unveiled the new Welding Centre of Excellence at Bridgwater and Taunton College’s campus in Bridgwater in April, one of three new training centres. Together with existing facilities and investment into education and skills, the centres will assist local people to be among the additional 4000

workers needed for the next phase of the power station’s construction.

Many of the 500 trainees who will qualify each year live in the local area and will fill these crucial roles, which will see miles of pipes and electrical cables fitted across the power station.

The Hinkley Point C project has now invested a total of £24 million into education, skills and employment support, and the welding facility joins the Electrical Centre of Excellence in Bridgwater and the Construction Skills and Innovation Centre, in Cannington.

“The energy crisis has shown the need for Hinkley Point C’s reliable, low-carbon electricity is more urgent than ever,” said Hinkley Point C’s Managing Director, Stuart Crooks. “Our 2022 Socio-Economic Impact Report shows the project is also delivering big social and economic benefits in the communities that host us and beyond. We have worked hard to ensure that people in the region can benefit from

the many job opportunities on offer in the next phase of construction.

“I am proud that Hinkley Point C is exceeding targets for creating jobs and training opportunities in the communities that host the project.”

As Hinkley Point C passes the halfway point in its construction period it is rapidly becoming clear that the project will generate a plethora of social and economic benefits, including wide-ranging and potentially life-changing employment opportunities, as EDF concludes.

“Hinkley Point C is vital in the fight against climate change and ensuring energy security but it also proves that the transition to netzero can also deliver huge social and economic benefits, changing lives and communities for the better.”

// HINKLEY POINT C IS EXCEEDING TARGETS FOR CREATING JOBS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT HOST THE PROJECT //

© EDF Energy

The Security Threats to CNI and the Energy Sector and how G4S is Securing Hinkley Point C

Critical national infrastructure (CNI) is, by its very nature, fundamental to the running of any country. Without the contribution from sectors such as energy, society would be severely impacted. It should therefore be no surprise that CNI is a perfect target for those who may wish to cause major disruption or harm.

Noah Price, head of the G4S Academy, provides an overview of the security threats faced by critical national infrastructure, what makes good security and the work G4S is doing to secure Hinkley Point C. Threats against CNI may be external or come from the inside and are constantly evolving. The principal threats include theft or damage to property, assets and materials, unauthorised entry (including terrorist, activist and urban exploration) and cyber-attacks.

The infrastructure which supports and underpins these sectors therefore needs to be protected against threat and harm, using modern methods and the latest technology, to ensure that critical operations are not disrupted should an attack occur. Such arrangements need a holistic approach to protect the entire infrastructure, including both physical and cyber security, and ensuring that culture, awareness and behaviour among staff, contractors and others, is ultimately driven from the top.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Threats and risks faced by CNI need to be continually assessed and updated, and this is difficult because of ever-changing circumstances. In the nuclear industry, the UK is currently in a state of transition with half of our 15 nuclear power reactors (which supply approximately twenty percent of Britain’s electricity), set to be retired in the next four years. G4S provides security services to nuclear plants that are under construction or being decommissioned, with each site at very different stages of operation, displaying different risks and requiring different levels of security.

Nuclear construction sites tend to be demanding and dynamic with risks changing as the build proceeds. The number of people on site at any one time and the speed of the build, makes it more challenging to plan for. In contrast, decommissioning sites have a higher risk at the beginning of the process when reactors are shut down and fuel is taken away, meaning that security is generally easier to plan for. The tempo of operations is also much slower for

decommissioning sites compared to the hive of activity of a construction site. As a result of the high number of people, machinery and activities, far more safety, security and medical incidents are faced on a construction site on a daily basis than would be seen at a decommissioning site.

Revisions of the UK threat levels relating to potential terrorist attacks also have an impact, with an expectation that security services have the ability to react to these changes instantly. This means having the resources to upscale security to the appropriate level, depending on the individual CNI environment. Having access to a pool of Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP), plus a broad range of supporting services (such as canine, which can screen for explosives and firearms etc.), as well as being able to rapidly deploy surveillance technology (such as CCTV Towers), allows organisations such as G4S to effectively react to such demands and build an integrated security solution suitable to mitigate the threat.

MANAGING INGRESS AND EGRESS

The faster pace of operations is observed at nuclear construction sites by the large number of people on site at any one time. At Hinkley Point C (HPC), security staff can search and screen up to 150,000 people a month, 8,000 in a 24-hour period, 5,000 of whom may need to arrive and leave the site in a one-hour period. It is vital to ensure that no inappropriate substances or dangerous materials enter the site, and likewise that no expensive tools and materials, or sensitive data is removed from the site. As such, this takes planning, scheduling and coordination with people logistics, both on and off site to ensure staff arrive for work on time to prevent knock-on delays to construction.

As such, there is a big emphasis within some CNI sectors on security clearance, not only for employees, but also contractors, and visitors, some of which may be high-profile. At HPC, G4S supports the client, EDF in the induction and security screening of the entire workforce and has developed a package specifically for inducting people on that site.

All CNI sites take a layered protection approach to security, with security checks kicking in before the perimeter for people, equipment and goods. However, this is frequently not as simple as securing one area, because many sites have multiple entry points, especially larger plants that may

have connections via road, rail and ports. It is important that only authorised personnel are admitted to site and that they are adequately screened, without causing any unnecessary delays. At HPC around 200 buses are used daily to shuttle people to park and ride sites, therefore, it is important to deploy suitable access control systems that can both process workers and visitors securely and efficiently.

ACHIEVING THE STANDARDS

To achieve the required standards in CNI environments it is important to adopt intelligent security, using a risk-based approach, backed by specialist people and approved products. Personnel in design, installation and operations need to be suitably and highly qualified to carry out their roles. Many of these sites are visited by high-profile individuals, making them a target for terrorist activity and regularly selected by protesters. They are also a popular choice for urban exploration. For these reasons G4S uses enhanced security officers (ESOs) on its high-risk sites, who can undertake a skilled and informed approach to appease any hostile situations. ESOs are highly experienced (often with ex-military backgrounds) in the de-escalation of hostile situations such as protests.

Likewise, only the highest standard of equipment and technology can be employed because external and insider threats are a real risk given the sensitive nature of the work undertaken at some locations. The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) is the government authority focussed on providing advice and assistance to those who have responsibility for protecting these most crucial elements of the UK’s national infrastructure, and to reduce their vulnerability to terrorism and other security threats.

CPNI evaluates security products for use in CNI and Government, against specific CPNI security standards to assist organisations to identify the most appropriate physical security equipment. A product may be given a ‘Class’ level grading, meaning it has characteristics that will defend against surreptitious attacks, or a ‘Protection’ level, meaning it shows resistance to forced attacks. Occasionally, a product will be awarded both grades. The CPNI evaluations are set well above the standard expected of a ‘normal’ security product, even the ‘lowest’ grading is an indication of a very capable product.

IMPROVING THE SECURITY CULTURE TOGETHER

It is important to have a good security culture in organisations to mitigate against physical, cyber and internal threats. It also ensures that employees are more engaged with security issues and act in a more compliant way. It helps to raise awareness of security issues across all employees, not just security officers, which reduces the risks of security incidents and breaches. It also improves overall security without the additional need for large expenditure. The CPNI provides crucial guidance and support for those in CNI organisations. This includes marketing materials for use in awareness-raising campaigns and also tools to assess and benchmark security culture, such as a number of survey-based Security Culture Assessment Tools (SeCuRE), which are widely used within the nuclear industry.

of resources, from screensavers and posters to banners and videos. G4S also brings in specialists and guest speakers to talk to personnel. It works closely with a number of the Avon and Somerset police force, who have been assigned to the project and with the HPC Beat Team to ensure that the project does not negatively impact on local residents. One of the most important contributions to establishing a robust security culture is to invest in training and development, something that G4S knows is critical to do upfront in a contract, moving the agenda from having security, to having effective security. One of the issues with training, even more observed in CNI environments and especially nuclear settings, is the need to continuously train for events that might (hopefully) never happen. However, if an incident does happen, it is likely to take place at very short notice and personnel need to quickly apply their expert skills and training.

WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THE BEST IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY

The requirement to establish good relationships with clients, partners and stakeholders cannot be overstated. This should include a shared understanding of culture, processes, and information to work towards common goals. These partnerships also include those with the local police and other parties to understand risk and situational awareness for activities such as moving an abnormal load. A planning workshop may be carried out to consider every eventuality and ensure all stakeholders will deliver their part of the process.

CNI organisations in particular are vulnerable to both supply chain failures and non-delivery from partner organisations, with any delays having a knock-on effect on overall service delivery. G4S works very closely with its partners at all its CNI sites ensuring they support each other with any challenges faced to get a speedy resolution. Every single day of missed work can be extraordinarily costly – keeping security present, fully compliant and operational is a requirement for critical infrastructure.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays an increasingly important part in shaping how G4S delivers its services, ensuring a positive impact on society and taking account of environmental, economic and social issues. G4S believes in embedding good practices to support sustainability and add social value, encouraging other service providers and their suppliers to do the same. At HPC, G4S has sourced all of its workforce from the local area, 50% are veterans and many employees have been offered apprenticeships. As well as off-setting carbon emissions and recycling, G4S contributes to the site commitment of returning green sites back to greenbelt when the build is complete. One positive environmental initiative undertaken recently was the planting of 100 elm trees designed to offset the CO2 emissions from the G4S vehicle fleet.

Noah Price is International Director of the G4S Academy which is responsible for sharing specialist threat and security knowledge. It provides regular, free security bulletins on potential threats, which can be a useful part of security planning.

For more information on the threats facing CNI and what makes good security read our guide: https://www.g4s.com/en-gb/what-we-do/securitysolutions/securing-critical-national-infrastructure Securing

At HPC, G4S, as part of its larger safety campaign, works with other partners to raise awareness of security to the various groups working on site, with targeted training and engagement activities. Campaign materials include a variety

ALDERLEY

Advanced Solutions to Meet Global Energy Challenges

Composed of three companies – Alderley, SMS and Kelton – that have been at the forefront of the oil and gas engineering industry for well over half a century, the Alderley Group delivers integrated solutions to the global energy market. With the industry dialogue veering wildly between green and hydrocarbon focuses, for Alderley everything hinges ultimately on the company’s unrivalled engineering capabilities, explains CEO Colin Elcoate, and to transfer those capabilities across all markets, territories and needs.

PRODUCTION: Tommy Atkinson

INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENGINEERING

//“Alderley is the perfect example of a high-quality, progressive engineering business with great people, a fantastic heritage, excellent products and services,” begins CEO, Colin Elcoate. “There is a real sense of pride and commitment to delivering customer value.” Alderley has the expertise and experience to deliver every time, on everything from measurement technology and pressure testing through to software and digital services.

Long known for technical excellence with family values at its core, founder Tony Shepherd brought together in 1989 the multiple diverse companies and many years of experience that now comprise Alderley. “Engineering skill and technical excellence are what set us apart,” the late founder maintained. “This continues to underpin our strength of offering and company growth.”

Identifying and expertly integrating the latest technologies to meet clients’ differing project requirements, Alderley harnesses

the expertise of local, flexible and agile teams to provide the best support and in-country value, backed by a global team of experts.

GLOBAL GROWTH

“We are a family business,” Elcoate says, “and we are owned by the Shepherd family, based in the UK, with the family active on the board. That gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of how quickly we can get things approved. When people approach us with opportunities we can assess them rapidly and make decisions on whether we will pursue them.”

It also lends Alderley, he goes on, a founding principle still central to its whole ethos and success. “It was Tony Shepherd that not only had the vision for Alderley to become a fantastic engineering company, which made good equipment and had a great reputation, but insisted that we needed to be local and close to our customers.

“That is why we were the first in Dubai, and in Saudi Arabia, to do what we do, based on classic British entrepreneurialism. Nothing has changed in that original vision. We are

intent on taking on some of the world’s hardest challenges in the energy space. The business is well-established, with a long history, and we realised that we could expand across the world very fast, with supportive shareholders who are now pushing us to do even more.

“We now just have one global team are proud to be a Britishbased engineering business that has grown globally.”

Together with a highly-skilled engineering team, Alderley works alongside Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to come up with creative solutions for some of

// WHEN THINGS ARE CHANGING WE TEND TO BRING THAT GREAT BRITISH SPIRIT OF INNOVATION INTO TRADITIONAL MARKETS

Colin Elcoate, CEO

the biggest energy challenges around the world. As a solutions-based company with more than 60 years of solving diverse customer challenges concerning onshore, offshore and on FPSOs, Elcoate conveys how sometimes turmoil in the market is actually very beneficial for business.

“We are a company that relishes a new challenge,” he says. “When things are changing, and people are looking for new ways of doing business, we tend to bring that Great British spirit of innovation into traditional markets.”

CHANGE AND CHALLENGE

Post-Covid the whole energy market has turned upside down but, crucially, ended up growing. “Operationally, we have a huge variety going on, but with a major focus on the Middle East, where the big players are seriously looking to cement their dominance and flex their muscles even more, in some cases globally,” explains Elcoate.

“We will look to capitalise on these ambitions of theirs, which encompass everything from massive oil and gas upgrade projects to new projects

delayed by Covid, while we want to be an early-mover in markets like Saudi Arabia as well. We are hugely excited to say that we operate in these locations, in what are some of the most fertile areas in the world.

“All we can see at present are huge projects, in every region in the world, and scope to deploy our skills and our historic capability and capacity, as well as our newer solutions. We are firm believers that in order to access the

best talent, and to service customers properly, we have to be where they are, and we do this across the globe.

“For me it is all about client intimacy, understanding exactly what they want and providing the right quality, technology and price, but crucially building it in the region,” he adds.

Along the way, Alderley has been able to draw on external industry expertise to help address some of

INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENGINEERING

its most pressing challenges. “For a family-owned business like Alderley, relationships matter, and I am a huge believer in partnerships,” Elcoate elaborates. “We only enter into them with like-minded companies offering mutual benefits, which could be geographical, in terms of access to markets, or complimentary technology and mutual respect as businesses set on growing together.”

One of the most notable recent collaborations has been with Flowserve, manufacturer and servicer of fluid motion control solutions for the world’s toughest, most critical applications. “It still floors me that someone like Flowserve, the biggest pump company in the world, comes

to Alderley and asks us to help out in Saudi Arabia,” Elcoate beams. “There is a real synergy between us as companies, both striving to make the world better for everyone, in their case by creating extraordinary flow control solutions.”

In the Middle East, and across Europe, Alderley has also launched a strategic tie-up with Brodie International as an approved service provider. “Alderley will act as a one-stop-shop for servicing Brodie’s equipment across the Middle East,” Elcoate furthers, of another ideal alignment for all concerned. “Brodie has a large installed base across the Gulf especially in Saudi Arabia, matching Alderley’s operations across the region and our regional HQ in Dammam.”

A WELL-ROUNDED OFFERING

Traditionally, Elcoate details, Alderley has been tasked with supporting all of the foremost energy companies – he names Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, Qatar Energy as illustrative of this –right across their whole portfolios. “Everything from our traditional petrochemical oil and gas business that everybody knows Alderley for, but also an ever-growing breadth of solutions, particularly around our service business,” he adds. “This is providing us with a large tranche of our current work, and of course now we start to see opportunities arise in the renewables and low-carbon space.”

Alderley’s specialism in integrated solutions means that two areas immediately stand out as especially lucrative. “People are already coming to us based on our prior work in hydrogen and carbon capture,” Elcoate effuses. “Everyone is talking about the hydrogen economy, and it presents

FLOWSERVE - Meet Ambitious Net-zero Goals with Energy Advantage

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The newly launched Flowserve Energy Advantage program is a holistic flow control approach aimed at helping customers reach their carbon reduction goals and lower total cost of ownership. It provides a tangible way for energy operators to increase their energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and drive long-term sustainability.

Energy Advantage provides customers with Flowserve engineering expertise, a systematic data-driven evaluation process and a complete offering of products and services that can drive increased energy efficiency through optimization of pump and valve power consumption. From pump and control valve re-rating and replacement to our enhanced monitoring and predictive analytic services, Flowserve‘s offerings through the Energy Advantage program can also reduce customers’ carbon emissions, improve plant productivity and reliability and provide operational savings.

“Recently, four of our pumps included in the Energy Advantage program were installed to support a customer’s conversion of a refinery to a renewable fuels facility, which will yield 34% improved energy consumption, saving the customer 7,600 tons of CO2 per year,” said Rob Vitello, Vice President, Energy Advantage. “These tangible results are at the core of this new offering, and we look forward to working with our customers to find the best fit for their needs.”

Energy Advantage is just one way in which Flowserve is supporting existing and new customers during the energy transition.

To learn more about the Energy Advantage Program, visit https://www.flowserve.com/en/energy-transition/energyadvantage-program/

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M eet A m bi ti o us N et-ze ro G o a l s wi th E nergy A d vanta g e

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DIV E RSIF Y | D E CAR BO NIZ E | DIGITIZ E

all sports of applications relevant to us – above all measurement, Alderley’s real specialism. Historically we have built hydrogen refuelling stations, and right now we are working in Saudi Arabia on a large-scale hydrogen plant.

“With the Saudi Vision 2030 and being in-country, well-respected with a petrochemical heritage and experience and able to harness strong client relationships, we are extremely wellpositioned to embed ourselves in the green marketplace and grow with it. It is hugely valuable for our portfolio and for our image as a full-blown energy company, and of course for attracting young, talented engineers who want to be involved in the transition.

“What is interesting is to see the business continue to be the best it can be in the current and future marketplace, maximising

new technologies and new ways of working,” Elcoate summarises, and a further shift he pinpoints is away from capital-intensive projects to a much more balanced portfolio, prioritising digitisation and digital software.

“We have always had a successful software business,” he details, “creating solutions for very niche engineering applications. This transformation gathered pace during Covid, and we accelerated our interests, investment and developments to match. We are uplifting our aftermarket service business, digital proposition and consultancy business, and trying to reach a more even split.”

Elcoate himself sums it up best, describing Alderley as an energy company with something to offer to all verticals in the market, from power generation, through oil and

gas, and now into low-carbon. “We want to be an integral part of these other renewable technologies alongside a lot of our clients who are already servicing this marketplace.

“Growing, diversifying and strengthening the business is so pivotal for us. We will stick to what we know, and there are still so many great problems for us to solve. Alderley has barely even scratched the surface so far, and we have many decades ahead of us in this business of providing high value-added engineering solutions right across the energy space.”

EN A BLIN G E NER G Y T R A NSI T IO N

Mathias Kurras, CEO

MAXIMATOR HYDROGEN

Harnessing Hydrogen’s Abundance to Fuel the Future

A leading provider and developer of comprehensive system solutions for the entire hydrogen technology value chain, Maximator Hydrogen is at the vanguard of developing, producing and delivering highly reliable and modern hydrogen filling stations worldwide. No stranger to change over a 130-year history, CEO Mathias Kurras details how Maximator Hydrogen is quickly broadening its horizons in every direction with fast, tailored and sustainable hydrogen applications.

PRODUCTION: Rob Fenton

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HYDROGEN

//Vehicle makers have been experimenting with hydrogen fuel cell technology for years, in their collective bid to crack the formula for successfully using the most abundant resource in the universe to power cars. Hydrogen cars produce zero harmful emissions on the road, and refilling is very similar to filling up with petrol or diesel and is also almost as quick, with a brim-full tank achieved in around five minutes.

The all-important lack of polluting emissions and absence of long waiting times are just some of the many benefits that hydrogen vehicles share with electric cars, while their ranges are now far superior, now eclipsing 350 kilometres in many cases. While the adoption of hydrogen cars, particularly as discussions surrounding extracting

hydrogen from water and CO2neutral production methods advance, should seem a no-brainer, in reality the practicalities surrounding it have been wrought with complexities.

One of the biggest obstacles to a more widespread take-up has, undoubtedly, been the lack of existing infrastructure, amplified as EV charging points have sprung up with sustained and increasing speed and the convenience of using hydrogen’s main competitor has in turn swelled and taken electric cars fully into the mainstream. With parent company Maximator GmbH the world market leader in high-pressure technology, through abundant innovation and expertise Maximator Hydrogen is poised to intervene, outlines MD Mathias Kurras.

GEARING UP

“We build hydrogen filling stations with passion and thus drive the future,” he outlines. “Our mission is to make hydrogen usable on a large scale and help infrastructure to become climate neutral.” Patience is key, however, Kurras adds - this is a marathon, after all, not a sprint. “We are fuelling the future; we know that in the end there will be hydrogen.”

Maximator Hydrogen was formed as a specific product portfolio in the field of hydrogen application, developed within its parent company, founded on its many years of experience in high-pressure technology. “Coupled with the global outcry for climate-friendly alternatives to fossil drive technology and some visionary minds, we decided to manufacture

these hydrogen filling stations,” Kurras explains. “Being able to provide the right technology at the right time made it an even easier decision for us to pursue this endeavour.”

A separate entity since 2019, Maximator Hydrogen’s work began in earnest at the turn of 2022 with the outsourcing of the business unit; this

MAXIMATOR HYDROGEN

pursuit continues apace, says Kurras. “Unbundling the hydrogen segment from the Maximator Group allows us to plunge our full focus into this business and its many prospects, pursuing the dynamic growth in this sector.

“As well as the many years of expertise in the development and production of compression technologies, and key technologies from Maximator Advanced Technology, we also benefit from the know-how of around 700 hydrogen-relevant patents. We truly envisage the hydrogen compression market as being huge in the near future.”

Already, Kurras elaborates, there has been significant investment which has translated into two production halls, to give Maximator Hydrogen capacity to build 400 refuelling stations each year, and an office building

// OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE HYDROGEN USABLE ON A LARGE SCALE AND HELP INFRASTRUCTURE TO BECOME CLIMATE NEUTRAL //

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HYDROGEN

due for completion and move-in before the end of the year. “We also have our own development team, based in Vienna,” says Kurras, “all of whom are former colleagues who we therefore know and trust. As a result, we have developed our own hydrogen compressor, whose technology is really outstanding in the market today.

“The MAX Compression System is one of the modules that work together to ensure that the filling process at the pump is happy. We have included an exclusive featurean automatic seal exchange - which allows us to replace the seal in the compressor within minutes. This is something which really sets us apart from our competitors, who can take two to three days to accomplish the same. It is a significant USP for us, especially with regard applications to commercial vehicles, which is our main focus at this point in time.”

As the demand for hydrogen in transportation increases, it is imperative to develop infrastructure to supply trucks, buses, and cars. Hydrogen has been posited as the key missing link and a leading opportunity to

decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors, and long-haul trucking has found a particular ally in hydrogen-powered fuel and hydrogen combustion, offering not only faster refuelling and greater range to increase the uptime potential for trucks, but lower weight, too, compared with batteries, which improves payload capacity.

BRANCHING OUT

“We offer the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in the market,” Kurras reveals, of the crucial KPI that the highly competitive transportation industry needs to manage, “and there is a huge amount of importance being placed on this factor in order to make hydrogen competitive with diesel. This is enabling us to gain a lot of momentum right now. Overall, technology-wise we are the market leader worldwide, and in terms of the number of new hydrogen stations brought into service over recent years we are leading the way in Europe.”

As Kurras recognises, this is already a glittering success story, but one which shows no signs of abating. “We are now looking to double

everything - the number of employees, of stations - each year,” he enthuses. “Obviously these are huge growth rates, but we are very much on track to fulfil and maybe even exceed them.”

Pivotal to achieving such lofty aspirations, Kurras is confident in the power of the partnerships Maximator Hydrogen is forging through the expertise and innovation it evinces, which include some of the giants of the industry. “We are delivering a lot of stations to Shell into the USA, and by the end of this year we will have provided up to 50 in California. We also have a number of projects with them in Europe,” Kurras adds, as Maximator Hydrogen quickly branches out of its origins in Germany and Switzerland.

“A lot of neighbouring countries are now on our map,” he relays.

“We have delivered bus stations to Vienna and the Netherlands, and prototype refuelling stations to Sweden. We are looking now to step into the markets in Australia and the Middle East, while strengthening our strong position in North America and obviously consolidating our leading European status.”

Detec�on

Ostkamp 25 - 26203 Wardenburg - GERMANY www.wtsysco.de - info@wtsysco.de

Now, Kurras goes on, defined, separate business areas are emerging for Maximator Hydrogen. “The next really big area for us is delivering our hydrogen compressors for trailer filling and pressurising of hydrogen for processors and pipelines, for example, which is much more industry-

focussed. We therefore have this clear dual focus: on-road mobility, which encompasses our refuelling stations, combined with the industry side.

“Off-highway is a third area which is really beginning to boom for us, as a number of mines in the world begin to convert their huge trucks to using hydrogen. This then necessitates completely new, and much bigger, refuelling stations, which for us is hugely exciting. Machinery used in construction and agriculture, too, fall under this same bracket, all of which is really driving this section of the business.

“We are targeting really fast growth at this moment in time, in order to deliver on the numbers to market need.” Such rapid growth in such a short space of time is testament to its specialist knowledge and technological

USPs, with separation from the Maximator Group condensing every ounce of the 360-degree hydrogen know-how of the hydraulics specialists into a full focus on this field.

“More than 130 years of experience are behind our high solution competence in the field of machine and component construction,” Kurras concludes. “The combination of this tradition with a high degree of vertical integration and sustainable innovations allows us to develop the most suitable and efficient solutions with, and for, our customers, for the entire value chain of hydrogen technologies.”

HYDROGEN MEM-TECH

Clean Hydrogen Made Possible

HYDROGEN Mem-Tech offers a cost-effective method of producing large volumes of highquality hydrogen while making it easier to capture CO2 in the syngas process, assisting companies and industries on a decarbonisation journey. True innovators, the company is using palladium membranes to achieve what has not been possible before. CCO Shane McElroy tells Energy Focus more about an exciting plan for growth.

PRODUCTION: David Hill

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HYDROGEN

energy sources while driving sustainable business performance is essential in modern investment decisions and for shareholders with deep-set ESG agendas.

But it’s not easy. According to research from Imperial College London and the University of California - Irvine, more than a quarter of emissions from burning fossil fuels are harder to decarbonise than the rest, and these emissions are growing. The research highlights the

energy with only water as a by-product

process heat and much more.

“It is light, storable, energydense, and produces no direct emissions of pollutants or greenhouse gases,” highlights the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Produced from fossil fuels, biomass, water, or from a mix of both, the process is well-established. Currently, natural gas is the primary source of hydrogen production and this causes pricing variations in geographies around the world depending on the balance of supply and demand of natural gas

“Hydrogen is already widely used in some industries, but it has not yet realised its potential to support clean energy transitions. Ambitious, targeted and near-term action is needed to further overcome barriers and reduce costs… The time is right to tap into hydrogen’s potential to play a key role in a clean, secure and affordable energy future,” says the IEA.

One company already busy with investments into hydrogen production technology is HYDROGEN Mem-Tech (HMT). Established in 2017, based in Trondheim, Norway, HMT aims to bring hydrogen to the forefront by the separation of clean hydrogen from blue, biogenic turquoise and green hydrogen production sources –cheaper, cleaner, better. “Our ambition is to drive cost out of clean hydrogen production to make it more profitable,

Shane McElroy, CCO

so that sustainable energy solutions with zero emissions gain a competitive advantage,” the company impresses.

PATENTED TECHNOLOGY

In a unique and patented technology system, HMT makes us of a palladium membrane to separate clean hydrogen from other gases present in the hydrogen production process or industrial tail gases, removing for example carbon dioxide before combustion in a specially designed separating unit. Palladium’s effectiveness here is exceptional. The metal will only allow for hydrogen to pass through it. A metallic element extracted globally at mines in South Africa, USA, Canada, and Russia, palladium is well known as a key filtration substance used in petrol vehicle catalytic convertors.

Sputtering, a well-known manufacturing process for thin films, is used to lay down thin sheets of three to four microns, significantly thinner than your typical aluminium kitchen foil. The production process to manufacture a robust membrane has been a decade-long project with input from specialist European research

business, SINTEF. Tried and tested, the technology is consistent and scalable. And because it is thin and uses less costly material, it is more efficient than alternatives. This drives a lower capex and opex for the technology’s users - something of great interest.

“Our core business is hydrogen separation systems for applications where the existing infrastructure architecture is not as efficient as it could be,” details CCO, Shane McElroy. “We drive cost out of processes and equipment while enabling new architectures for multistep industrial processes. We take out equipment because of what our separator can do against what existing technology cannot do. We believe that where compactness, vibration tolerance, high temperatures and reduced maintenance count are valuable to our customers, we will be able to demonstrate advantages. We are not trying to compete head-to-head, at this point, with some of the largescale incumbent systems, but we are looking at applications where we can do something different.”

As a turnkey provider of technology, the company can

HYDROGEN MEM-TECH

handle a project from start to finish including planning and management, engineering, fabrication, installation, and aftermarket service and monitoring. Whether installing a separator in a large industrial complex or in a confined space on a vessel, module or container, the technology can be optimised.

“With the palladium membrane, we have some advantages that we try and leverage in application areas. One of those advantages is that we can tolerate a wide variety of gases that hits the separator. Some molecules that would normally be removed or processed don’t need to be. We can operate early in the process cycle without pre-treatment,” says McElroy. “For example, with steam. Some of the other technologies require water to be removed or they drop the temperature to much lower than where we operate so that water is removed naturally. We operate between 300-400 degrees which is quite unique. We have very high hydrogen specificity which means that we are very efficient, under the right conditions, to separate a very high amount of the hydrogen that goes into the separator.”

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HYDROGEN

Palladium blocks everything but hydrogen within the separator. CO2 is safely segregated for capture and storage and can be used for other applications. The resultant clean hydrogen has applications across multiple industries, assisting in decarbonisation strategies. The way this thin membrane is stacked and scalable has not been done before in this way and gives the most effective hydrogen production available in the market.

“The toughest challenge that we see in the industry is fuel cell grade hydrogen,” McElroy admits. “Everybody is struggling to do this efficiently as the standards are extraordinarily high for any hydrogen source as there are so many sources of contamination. We have architectures where we can deliver that, but we are aiming to in a short time deliver this more economically than our current architecture and I believe that our technology and out team have the tools to get us there.”

The separator, tested extensively over the past decade, is a solid-

state device and does not have any moving parts. With hydrogen environments usually quite difficult to access, this set up limits the need for access and therefore improves maintenance downtime and reliability, and reduces risk of failure.

“It is also very vibration tolerant. Some of our competitors use catalysts that don’t manage vibration well in the longer term,” reminds McElroy.

DIVERSIFICATION

Interest in ammonia as a hydrogen carrier is growing and HMT is excited to see the application for separating hydrogen from cracked ammonia streams being developed by several players around the globe.

“We are very interested in the clean up of cracked ammonia as we are able to separate nitrogen and trace ammonia from hydrogen which is essential for the efficient operation of PEM fuel cells. We can do that with a very high level of recovery, even accommodating easy integration to multiple cracker steps. This is something that is being looked at with

up to 97% recovery and that is exciting. Ammonia as a fuel for producing hydrogen is in a very early stage of commercial realisation – the technology is proven but the need for that scaling this to be a larger volume industrial solution has not been apparent until recently,” explains McElroy.

“Large chemical companies who manufacture their own hydrogen from

// LARGE CHEMICAL COMPANIES WHO MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN HYDROGEN FROM NATURAL GAS COULD NOW BE LOOKING AT THE SITUATION AND THINKING ABOUT HOW NATURAL GAS IS NOT SO ABUNDANT OR AFFORDABLE //

natural gas could now be looking at the situation and thinking about how natural gas is not so abundant or affordable - perhaps it is cheaper to buy green ammonia from a low-cost region and ship to their geographies in Asia or Europe to crack it back to hydrogen. It’s not a very energy efficient way to do things on paper – it is acknowledged that there are a lot of energy losses in that particular hydrogen value chain, but it does make sense in certain circumstances. The CO2 footprint is also important to consider, we need to see more green ammonia to support this,” he adds.

With research around ammonia ongoing, the company is already planning for where its solutions could fit. The expectation is that ammonia could be cracked, separating the hydrogen before reintroducing hydrogen for example in power generation from fuel cell applications or industrial conversion processes at petrochemical complexes or high carbon intensity processes like steel or cement manufacturing plants. At smaller scale, in a shipborne cracker or land based heavy transport

applications for example, this could be perfect for HMT’s technology.

Syngas, a renewable fuel sourced from wood, waste wood, cellulose or lignin, can also be used in an HMT separator at scale in a cost-efficient manner. “While we are a small company, starting on our journey, we have big ambitions and supportive owners,” reiterates McElroy. “Our largest frame can handle a certain gas volume and be cost effective but as we start to benefit from economies of scale, we will quickly overcome challenges with new, larger separators.”

TRIED & TESTED

The HMT concept came about in 2011 when REINERTSEN AS acquired the exclusive rights to technology developed by SINTEF. Late in 2016, HMT was established as its own entity before being acquired by REINERTSEN New Energy in 2017. In

HYDROGEN MEM-TECH

2018, a pilot test of the technology was initiated at Equinor’s industrial site in Tjelbergodden. By 2019, the production site in Trondheim had been formed before a new testing facility in Fossegrenda was established in 2020. Last year, HMT signed its first commercial contracts with clients and is backed by industry heavyweights.

“It was majority owned by REINERTSEN New Energy until May 2022 when we achieved investment from AP Ventures, Yara Growth Ventures, Shell Ventures, and Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, and SINTEF Ventures,” says McElroy.

Currently, a small but growing team is aiming for significant revenues from a relatively young business while forecasting ongoing rapid growth in coming years.

“We are working hard to sell, working hard to manufacture, and working on services,” confirms McElroy.

// WHEN YOU SAVE A MOLECULE OF HYDROGEN, YOU DON’T THEN HAVE TO REPRODUCE IT FROM SCRATCH AND THAT SAVES CO2

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HYDROGEN

“We like to do a lot of testing with our clients to prove our concepts and implementation in the plants that we are developing applications in. We cover a lot of industries – ammonia cracking; refining and chemicals for both production and tail gas recovery and blue and turquoise hydrogen production; pipeline deblending, steel and others, all the while achieving decarbonisation. When you save a molecule of hydrogen, you don’t then have to reproduce it from scratch and that often represents a saving in CO2 emissions.”

Additional digital services are also in development which will see the company offer up production enhancement and uptime improvements, with the streamlining of maintenance. Systems to monitor the performance of the equipment and prompt replacement of membranes as they degrade – obviously process dependent – continue to be researched.

GLOBAL BUSINESS

Developed and tested in Norway, HMT has grown its level of interest out its home market, with customers from around the world showing keen interest in products. For McElroy, previously of Siemens Energy, who has been with the business for just over one year, there are key geographical markets that will be targeted as the company grows.

“We are definitely a global business because our customer base is distributed to areas where the resource and competence is present in combination,” he says.

Europe is a good opportunity because the continent has a lot of oil and gas production and reservoirs suitable for CCS which enables blue hydrogen. Europe also has a large chemical and refining industry which opens up further opportunities. There is also a major shipping industry which is looking at the conversion to new fuels, including ammonia and hydrogen.

“In Europe, we were focussing

on biogas to hydrogen - or biogenic hydrogen - which is carbon neutral and unusually can be negative but with developments in the market and EU plans, biomethane is currently required by the national grids and is being paid for handsomely. For the moment, that has delayed the introduction of decentralised hydrogen from biogas plants in Europe,” McElroy says of the industry’s current status.

North America is also home to promising opportunity for HMT as the price of natural gas is typically lower and supply is plentiful. “SMRs are running, and there is a big push for biogas production from biogenic sources, for example in wood gasification,” says McElroy.

“Asia is an interesting market,” he adds, “especially since there are some companies in Japan and South Korea that are seriously looking at how to develop hydrogen as a fuel based on national strategies for the same. We haven’t had a lot of engagement there yet, but that will change as we grow.”

SALES GROWTH

As HMT enters an exciting new phase, where hydrogen is at the forefront of the global energy transition, increasing sales while demonstrating industryleading performance is the goal.

“We are searching for sales growth,” states McElroy. “Commercially, we want to look at identification and validation of the applications where we can create the most value, for ourselves and our customers. The implementation of strategies to grow those segments is essential. Technically, we want to grow capacity and automate while improving the performance of membranes.”

In May, following NOK 170 million investment from global heavyweights, the company will build capacity. “We are proud and incredibly humbled to have secured what will be one of the largest capital investments in an early-stage Norwegian tech company in recent years,” says HMT CEO, Thomas Reinertsen.

“Right now, our focus is to grow,” furthers McElroy. “We have an investment plan that is largely focused on building capacity in the business. We will be investing in automation and technology to meet the demand that we expect, while growing the organisation to support that.

“We see potential for displacing some technologies with applications where we can drive cost out and do things in a way that was not able to be done before. Palladium separator technology has in the past languished in R&D loops where it never jumped to commercial scale success. There are some good palladium membranes that are very expensive and do a good job at achieving high purity in low volume, but we are targeting an acceptable quality of hydrogen at a larger volume and significantly lower lifecycle cost.”

Importantly, the conversations

that HMT enters with its clients and potential clients will always begin with decarbonisation. The company is clear in its ambition that the demand for clean energy is greater than the supply, the need for smart solutions is urgent, and HMT can be a part of making the shift happen by realising the potential of hydrogen. No matter the application, this is a company that can assist clients on a green journey. That is why HMT is searching for customers with strong ambition and open minds.

“We want to have discussions about decarbonisation through hydrogen, either through the use of or recovery of hydrogen that is being wasted. For that, we need to have some high-level support to drive action. People who run plants are usually comfortable when things work well. When you introduce new technology and equipment, it can be resisted as it represents change

HYDROGEN MEM-TECH

and change can be risky. You have to find the people who see opportunities and typically this is a person with technical understanding combined with and a keen understanding of the business environment implicationsthat is typically how we see innovation thrive,” suggest McElroy.

No matter how challenging the route may seem, the decarbonisation journey is one that all must take. Technology, ambition, and history combined, this is a perfect partner for those looking to start or accelerate their strategy.

“To decarbonise, there are many pathways but clean hydrogen production and hydrogen recovery are key, especially where existing production systems are carbon intensive,” concludes McElroy.

Content sponsored by HYDROGEN Mem-Tech

WE WANT TO GROW CAPACITY AND AUTOMATE WHILE IMPROVING THE

RBN ENERGY

Energy Market Data

PRODUCTION: Tommy Atkison

Knowledge is power, and RBN Energy — a Texas-based data and insight consulting business — is one of America’s most powerful conveyors of energy market data. With a team of industry veterans that boast connections across the entire industry, if you want to stay up to date with happenings in North American energy, then RBN is the business to follow.

INDUSTRY FOCUS: DATA

//For true insight and expertise around the powerhouse North American energy industry there is one hall-of-famer who can be trusted to deliver comprehensive knowledge that few others can access. Houston-based Rusty Braziel — an industry veteran of Texaco, Altra Energy, BENTEK Energy and more, and member of the US National Petroleum Council — founded RBN Energy (Rusty Braziel’s Network) in 2012. For the past decade, Braziel has built and nurtured an unrivalled group of industry authorities, able to provide knowledge and commentary on different topics affecting business in the sector. Through a popular blog, consultancy business, and conferencing set-up, Braziel has created an ecosystem of data and information that leaves no stone unturned.

Today, RBN Energy is recognised by engineers, scientists, investors, financiers, operators, analysts, executives and more as the leading source of market data, making difficult

information quick and easy to digest.

CEO David Braziel, RBN’s secondgeneration leader, tells Energy Focus that the company’s strategy is to glean understanding from the front line and those with their hands on the pump.

“At RBN, we strive to be the most insightful source of energy information for US and Canadian markets,” he begins. “We do that primarily by offering a ‘boots on the ground’ type of analysis. When we hear of salient topics in the industry, we go to talk to the people who are in that line of work. If there is something going on in the Permian, we are not just going to look at the stats, we typically go and speak to one of our friends there and find out exactly what is happening. If Cushing is getting full of crude, we will find out quickly what the situation is. It is a very practical way of looking at energy markets.”

From the RBN hub in the downtown area of America’s oil and gas centre, Houston, observations flow from the fingertips of Rusty Braziel and team. The result is better connections and more informed decisions.

“The main way we communicate our insights is through our daily blog, where the goal is to have people walk away with one primary insight. We want to describe things in a way that anyone in the energy industry can understand, without using language that is too technical, and simplifying the message down to a small word count so that you can read it in the morning and understand something that you didn’t understand the day before while using that fresh knowledge throughout the day,” Braziel says.

FEEDBACK LOOP

Technically astute, and with a longdeveloped understanding of market economics, RBN Energy knows the industry inside out, but it is the analytical nature of the company and its founder that help it to stand out from the rest. Able to display and communicate complicated and daunting information in a

friendly way, RBN Energy easily generates ongoing enquiries.

“The wonderful thing about our business is that when we write about really important topics, we typically get inbound leads for the consulting side of our business,” smiles Braziel. “For example, if we write about Anadarko natural gas, we will get an inbound from someone asking for more info so that we can help them make a strategic or business decision. We then go and handle consulting with that client, but if we get three or four calls on that same topic, we begin to see trends and we then go and develop our knowledge.

“We have a very nice feedback loop in that way. We write an article, we get feedback, people continue to ask questions, and we develop that knowledge, which we can sell through consulting. The more we consult, the more we get an inside look at the beast, which drives further insight.”

Currently, the panel of contributors on RBN’s platform reads like a roll of honour for the energy industry. Aaron Imrie, Abudi Zein, Callie Mitchell, Chris Shearon, Donovan Schafer, Peter Howard, Spencer Dale, and Terry Virts are just a few of the omniscient thought leaders delivering wisdom.

Unsurprisingly, this insight is in demand. “We have 36,000 people who sign up for our free daily blog and a subset of that is part of the premium content,” details Braziel. “After five days, our blogs move behind a paywall. We have written things on all of the fundamental topics in energy. If you wanted to know what the CMA roll is or how crude oil gets priced,

David Braziel, CEO

// YOU CAN READ IT IN THE MORNING AND UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT YOU DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE DAY BEFORE //

we have written an in-depth series on that, but you would have to pay $75-90-per month for access to that.

“We track all crude oil, LNG, and NGL export cargoes out of the US, and that is a separate subscription product. We also track refinery performance across the US, and we have various specific publications.”

Making use of reliable public sources or data aggregators, the reports developed at RBN guide decision making and connect the physical

markets of energy commodities to financial markets to ensure effective management of risk.

“We work to curate various well-level production data. We have a relatively narrow focus, primarily the US and Canadian markets, so anytime we go out to international markets, we work closely with our partners,” says Braziel.

Data generated from RBN research is used by the likes of Bloomberg to keep large audiences up to date with developments that would otherwise

be kept under wraps or overlooked.

“We work across the value chain. We try to simplify our message so that if you are, say, a natural gas professional you can understand what is going on in crude oil markets,” explains Braziel.

“We have executives who read our material and their focus is to understand what is going on in markets that they don’t typically focus on day-to-day. They’re looking to us to tell them what is important and what they should be paying attention to. It filters down from there and we get business development people who hear things and then reach out to us. They are looking for market insight so they can go out and make deals, sometimes they end up hiring us for one of our consulting offerings.

//

WE HAVE A LOT OF EXECUTIVES WHO READ OUR MATERIAL AND THEIR FOCUS IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON IN MARKETS THAT THEY DON’T TYPICALLY FOCUS ON DAY-TO-DAY //

DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS

RBN Energy partners with Bloomberg for data and insight that is at the industry’s cutting edge. Through this partnership, both bring unrivalled insight that fuels complex decisions taken by the world’s energy leaders.

Bloomberg is one of the globe’s most trusted sources of data, news and insight. Employed by senior decision makers when making the toughest choices, data from Bloomberg allows for informed, faster, smarter outcomes.

The company supports RBN Energy as a content partner and an insight collaborator, helping those in the energy space to understand the market from top to bottom, quickly identifying opportunities.

“They use Bloomberg for things like vessel tracking, pricing analysis, economic data, and broad fundamental data across the commodity space,” says Enterprise Relationship Manager - Energy Corporations, Ryan Charles.

The relationship began more than seven years ago with Bloomberg sharing the popular RBN Energy newsletter through its Terminal, allowing for consistently strong reach. “Since then, we’ve grown together on the index and research side where they have a team that is building supply and demand models and building proprietary research to understand the energy market from various angles,” says Charles.

As part of the global energy transition, Bloomberg introduced BloombergNEF (BNEF). This strategic research provider, covering global commodity markets, is centred on the low-carbon-economy and aims to create opportunities.

Together, BNEF and RBN Energy hope to further enhance the decision-making process with robust, industry-leading, unbiased data.

“There is continued interest in collaborating further with BNEF - a deep fundamental research group, made up of around 250 analysts. Our relationship could develop twofold – looking for opportunities where we can lean on each other’s expertise, and continuing to provide innovative and market leading solutions around data and analysis where we stay on the cutting age of delivering information,” says Charles. “Whether that is programmatically or packaging it in research fashion, or having a team that can help others understand how to interact with different data visualisation packages. We are a technology and research partner. On the technology side, I see them continuing to use our tools to push compelling research and insight into how the world is changing,” he adds.

With the energy industry changing so quickly, reliable information has never been more important. Systems and networks are more integrated, and Bloomberg continues to drive innovation. Large integrated oil companies as well as SME energy organisations are searching for where they fit in as the transition reorganises the market – the Bloomberg Terminal is a seminal tool in this regard.

“We have been able to give the industry the tools to make that understanding and value projects as they find their place in the mix so that they can continue to be profitable while leading us to a cleaner future,” say Charles.

He says that the company’s strength is firmly rooted in its collaborative nature, and this will continue. “We are out there in a cohesive way. We are out meeting with customers understanding how they’re interacting with the market. We are connected.”

Bloomberg offers some of the most powerful and flexible solutions for commodities and financial market players who need integrated real-time data, news, and analytics to help uncover bigger opportunities.

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INDUSTRY FOCUS: DATA

We also have analysts who watch us and tune into our fundamentals blogs where we look at how one very nuanced aspect of the market works, for example how natural gas processing economics are calculated. From time to time, we will release spreadsheets that a lot of others will try to keep private. We’re about lifting the veil and showing how our models work and providing those same powerful tools to our clients.”

RBN hosts dedicated exhibition events where leaders can come together to discuss trends and make agreements. All of the activity is fuelled by the delivery of RBN’s knowledge through its blog. RBN’s School of Energy is another tool for clients to ensure employees have full understanding of

the markets in which they operate.

“We take what we have learned in consulting and blogging, and we stitch that all together for conferences that we hold throughout the year. There, we try to knit the whole narrative into one cohesive unit and that is called our School of Energy,” says Braziel, adding that this area holds growth potential for the company particularly in the wake of the pandemic, when most conferences had to be rescheduled, moved to an online format, or cancelled altogether.

STRONG IN 2022

Recent years have been challenging for the company, along with the rest of the energy industry, with pricing under pressure and uncertainty a major theme as the Covid-19 situation - and all of its associated upheaval

— rolled on. But with the fallout seemingly under more control, energy industry folks are meeting once again, exchanging information, and investing in learning experiences. Projects are underway, and the need for insight to fuel decision making is strong.

“Year-on-year growth is strong in 2022. We suffered in the downturn of 2020 and 2021, just like everyone else. Everybody says when money gets tight, the first thing that goes is consultants, and we were not immune to that. When gas prices hit $9 in the US and crude oil hit $100, the phone started ringing. We are doing much better this year,” Braziel highlights.

Going forward, RBN’s offerings will become more vital as the global energy transition takes hold and brings change, even in Texas. The US is

David Braziel, CEO and Rusty Braziel, Founder

beginning to invest heavily in offshore wind infrastructure, the use of coal has dropped significantly, and renewables are expected to make up more of the energy mix as the decades go by.

Natural gas will remain crucial in the transition but $48.5 billion was spent on renewable projects in 2018 alone, highlighting the demand for change.

RBN Energy provides trustworthy insight across the mix and Braziel sees the transition as an opportunity.

“Energy markets are in a huge transition, we know that,” he states. “I don’t think we can understate the importance of the decisions that are being taken right now that affect everybody. We are of the opinion that we need a balanced energy portfolio to be able to provide energy security, affordable energy, and more. Everybody needs it — it’s important in places like

the US and UK, but more important in developing nations where energy insecurity is a major detriment to quality of life. For me personally, that is an important goal for RBN.”

With high rates of inflation globally and interest rates skyrocketing, now is the time for careful consideration and informed decision making — risk-taking (even for smaller organisations) is not responsible with many economies teetering around recession in an increasingly connected global market.

“We are developing a new practice called RBN RFA (Refined Fuel Analytics). We are trying to go deeper into the refined fuels markets because there is such a global shortage and the root causes of that are widely misunderstood by the public. That is paradoxical because we all rely on these things every day.

We want to help carry the message. We want to help people understand energy markets,” Braziel says of RBN’s future plans and underlying goal.

With more contributors, more partner organisations, more events, more educational opportunities, and more insight set to come from RBN in the near future, the wheels will keep turning for this important cog in the major US energy industry network.

Importantly, David Braziel and his father, Rusty, hold a long-term vision for the company and aim to power an increased number of relationships every year.

“We connect energy data with the information needed to understand that data,” the company concludes.

Credit: Stela McMillan

Top Tier Project Management for World’s Energy Sector

PRODUCTION: Tommy Atkinson

With a team comprising of industry professionals and decades of experience, Drakken provides world-class project management, engineering, integration and automation products and services for complex, multi-faceted projects in the world’s energy sector. Drakken has quickly become known as an E&I and automation expert in the oil and gas and utilities industries, with a strong track record of success spanning the globe.

INDUSTRY FOCUS: OIL AND GAS

Watts - CEO

Credit: Stela McMillan

//“We have the capacity, capabilities and experience to successfully execute any project from concept to commissioning,” Drakken offers of its versatile service approach, with experience in both turnkey and package based options to deliver the most effective and viable solutions on a global scale.

To date, through its partnerships, the company has notched up in excess of 600,000 barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) of production commissioned, more than 100,000 man days of safe work and created over 125,000 engineering deliverables. A world-wide reach and continual focus on business excellence in all facets sees Drakken positioned to offer peerless project management solutions including HSE plans, document control, procurement

expediting and logistics support.

“Our veteran team of industry professionals have the experience and expertise to execute projects of any scope and setting,” the company explains. “From deserts to deepwater, we pride ourselves on our ability to manage every aspect of a project to create comprehensive solutions that minimise costs and maximise support and functionality.”

SEAMLESS, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Drakken specialises in delivering integrated electrical, automation and instrumentation services to the oil and gas, utilities and other industries - CEO Ben Watts elaborates for Energy Focus on the company’s main functions. “Drakken is a ‘system integrator’, specialising in electrical instrumentation

and controls for complex industrial and utility projects,” he says, “with 12 years of experience in the world’s most challenging regions. We are obsessed with finding a better way for the world to execute projects,” he openly admits.

“Drakken has diversified into marquee utility projects in the Middle East, in conjunction with our principal market of energy production. Typically, we work in partnership with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors that focus on the process and mechanical scope. These firms typically require integration support for electrical and instrumentation (E&I) and the balance of plant.

“On projects that leverage our full potential, we work alongside Tier 1 clients, and assume this position for them, to optimise the

Ben

design which we then we take from concept to commissioning. Drakken has the personnel for engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and maintenance,” he details.

“From design and construction to installation and commissioning, to technical support and maintenance services, we provide a management team that understands the needs of the client and those of the project. By providing a single point of contact and taking ownership of the project from start to finish, we can ensure a

seamless and professional experience.”

There is a wealth of experience contained within the Drakken engineering team, Watts adds, ensuring the deliverables are created upon specific project requirements, ranging from basic cost-effective design to complex detailed design. Drakken’s agile approach to project management and design ensures that today’s supply chain challenges are addressed and incorporated into the design as necessary to meet project requirements and schedule.

“Our three primary areas are

in electrical, instrumentation and control, and telecommunication systems,” he says, and within each are reams of services and operations rendered on the engineering side.

“At Drakken, we understand that project and construction management is an integral part of every job,” he delineates, and under this umbrella Drakken again caters for everything within those same three primary systems, while adding a suite of services and deliverables on top. The company also takes care of fabrication and procurement across this scope of supply, while Watts highlights a proven testing and commissioning system for further comment.

“This is composed of experienced technicians, supervisors, managers and specialists equipped with proprietary software for the effective

INDUSTRY FOCUS: OIL AND GAS

of commissioning systems, testing equipment and tracking the completion of activities,” he details.

“Drakken then steps in to provide operations, maintenance and call off support for its clients. Our teams execute daily operation and maintenance of electrical, instrumentation and automation systems for energy production facilities, industrial manufacturing and processing facilities and commercial buildings. We employ highly-trained electrical, instrumentation and automation personnel to provide a full-service offering, while our field personnel integrated with our engineering and project teams to deliver solutions

quickly and effectively for each client and facility, in any location.

“Our integrated business model, along with our electrical, controls and instrumentation expertise and international experience, has helped us achieve an excellent track record of success,” he states, and this, along with such an exhaustive service offering, has been central to allowing Drakken to put itself in the enviable position of being first in line when these experienced clients under the Tier 1 bracket have opportunities arise.

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY LEADER

“Because our clients trust us as a project partner we have a competitive advantage in terms of winning new

work due to our existing relationships,” Watts relays. “What we are now most keen to explore is expanding our partnership market; we have made collaboration a part of our DNA, using efficient systems, hiring and developing the best people in an integrated global footprint and challenging the status quo, and as part of this we are always looking to keep developing and expanding.”

There is a revival in in the industry post-COVID which has seen upward commodity pricing pressure, driving an increase in project capital in the Middle East, and Africa. “Projects are awarded, and then contractors pass those awards onto us, but we remain fixed on wanting to ensure that during this period of

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growth that our clients are able to fully leverage our integrated offering. We are picking up more conventional work as well as organically winning new clients. The relationships that we have forged with OEMs, including Emerson MAS and others, have catapulted us into some new spaces.

“As we do this, we are expanding our technical reach with regards to current technology leaders and control systems platforms and looking carefully at different applications brought to the market with the energy transition.” Watts also touches on last year’s announcement of Drakken’s landmark partnership with CarbonAi, in a new technology venture focused on the integration, automation and acceleration of greenhouse gas emission management and emission reduction projects.

“Its principal interest is in developing carbon offset projects from a full scope perspective,” Watts says, adding that CarbonAi’s proprietary software platform lies at the forefront of technology to facilitate and accelerate transparent emissions reduction projects. “We find the right clients and then assist the project in moving forward from a carbon finance perspective, ultimately creating revenue on the monetisation of the offsets.

“We see ourselves becoming a multi-disciplinary EPC company,” Watts blueprints of Drakken’s next phase, “as a trusted supplier to CarbonAi we will find access to project work for installations that revolve mostly around flare reduction. Finding ways to aggressively reduce emissions is plainly one of the world’s biggest challenges, and comes with huge opportunities

for those able to seize the initiative.

“CarbonAi aims to shift the paradigm and create faster, more integrated and more effective solutions using the latest technology alongside carbon finance.

“As we continue to establish ourselves in that space, we will grow further and pick up multidisciplinary projects through our partnership network. Our expertise in global project management and largescale projects executed across four continents uniquely positions us to create the data-led future for environmentally sound business.”

CORE SPECIALIST SERVICES

Diversification

Builds Core Competency at CSS

Core Specialist Services CEO, Craig Lindsay is busy diversifying the company’s service portfolio as he looks to target new industry sectors with a tech-based approach. By taking everything learned in oil and gas, this is an expert business with much to offer the wider energy sector.

PRODUCTION: Tommy Atkinson

INDUSTRY FOCUS: OIL & GAS

//It is no secret that the oil and gas business has become more challenging over the past decade as reserves become harder to reach and more difficult to extract. Energy return on energy invested (EROI) is now a vital part of strategic planning when it comes to developing oil and gas assets, and overall ROI remains the primary driver of economic activity in this sector. Fewer discoveries are being made, more time is being spent bringing discoveries to production, and unconventional assets continue to provide attractive returns. But hydrocarbons still deliver the best EROI and significant overall ROI, and this is why the global energy transition must be a managed process.

IOCs and other operators looking at new exploratory activity now need more information and more visually appealing ways of digesting that information to ensure maximum economic benefit for shareholders as well as the end user. Thankfully, companies like Aberdeen’s Core Specialist Services are putting years of expertise to use, while adding new ideas into its offering, to bring reliable and valuable information to decision makers.

Providing the most accurate insight into the porosity and permeability – as well as other attributes – core analysis is done by taking a sample of the rock being drilled, cutting into multiple core plugs and studying the

geology. Expensive and complex, coring is a process that requires significant expertise. This has been the primary offering from Core Specialist Services since formation in 2010.

Core Specialist Services (CSS) CEO, Craig Lindsay tells Energy Focus that this important function remains significant and the process continues to be improved through the introduction of new technologies.

BREAD AND BUTTER

“Core is acquired at great cost but, if exploited fully and appropriately, it can deliver great value. We aim to maximise that value and unlock the information that is required for effective formation evaluation, reservoir description and field development,” he begins.

“The design and management of projects is our bread and butter. Our customers are the operating companies and the laboratory studies are still performed by labs that are directly contracted by those operating companies.”

The growing service portfolio of CSS is significant and offers a turnkey product around coring. From planning, management and integration of core analysis to presentation of data, CSS covers traditional and unconventional reservoirs as well as all related elements.

Typically, a small amount of rock is cut from the within a well using a core bit within the barrel. The core

catcher drills out the sample before bringing it back to the surface for analysis. Often, a diamond cutting device is used to cut this extremely tough rock. The data gleaned through this process offers up insight into depth or certain formations, as well as estimations on oil and gas volumes.

Lindsay knows what to look out for after a long career in the sector, including multiple focus points.

“I have been in the energy business for 40 years and I spent the first 20 years working in laboratories – I am a geologist by background,” he says. “I have always worked in the subsurface rock core sector which are cut to study and gather information that can predict the value of a field and reservoir and determine long-term economic value.

“After leaving the laboratory sector in 2000, I joined a consultancy where I worked for eight years. I was on the other side of the equation and I went into project management around laboratory studies on behalf of operating companies, working as a middle man between big energy companies and the laboratories. I set up Core Specialist Services in 2010 as a project management company, all core-related but covering a large range of services in the oil and gas business.”

ACTIVE DIVERSIFICATION

Lindsay could see the value in bringing multiple services through one offering, making for a more streamlined procurement process for clients, while ensuring quality across the value chain. His idea was a success and the company has grown to employ more than 20 people (with more contractors based on workflow) with a wide range of expertise. The company has worked across different continents and different market places, and is capable of delivering innovation in challenging conditions.

“Annual revenue was at a highpoint around five or six years ago before declining for obvious reasons,” remembers Lindsay. “We’re back up

again now and it has plateaued. We were happy to stay in business while a lot of others went under through the pandemic. We generate a lot of business for other companies that wouldn’t necessarily get business from outside of the UK,” he says, adding that for each pound the company generates, it brings much more to the value chain as work filters through the network.

“Looking at the bigger picture,

that is how we contribute during tough times,” he states. “I am active in looking at other elements that we can bring to the business in terms of diversification and new services so that we are not standing still. Some opportunities pay off and some don’t, but it is all about giving people unique options and more of a reason to come to us.”

The company secured a twoyear contract in Southern Africa, on a traditional coring operation, where a client was searching for elimination of faulty data, and CSS delivered – even during the oil price downturn. This success is thanks to an approach based around continuous improvement and adoption of new technology.

“Over the last 10 years, we have taken a strong interest in new technologies and how these can be applied to cores. You can gather

a lot more information from these technologies compared to what has been done traditionally. I have been advocating those technologies and trying to collaborate with companies that can develop those technologies,” says Lindsay.

TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE

By embracing new ideas and new systems, the company is opening up new avenues for growth, and Lindsay is one for making the most of opportunities.

“We are diversifying away from dependency on oil and gas because of these technologies. Cores are now required in a lot of different industries and we are moving into CCS, geothermal, radioactive waste management, and mining. With the energy transition and demand for

INTEGRATED LABORATORY TESTING FOR TOMORROW’S ENERGY INDUSTRY

ROCK MECHANICS

ROCK FLUID COMPATIBILITY

CORROSION TESTING

// I AM ACTIVE IN LOOKING AT OTHER ELEMENTS THAT WE CAN BRING TO THE BUSINESS IN TERMS OF DIVERSIFICATION

INDUSTRY FOCUS: OIL & GAS

metals, it is arguably going to be a business that brings opportunities for the foreseeable future.”

The transition sees most developed nations aiming for net zero by 2050 at the latest, shifting away from reliance on fossil fuels and incorporating more renewable and low carbon energy into the mix. Interestingly, much technology and expertise utilised in the oil and gas industry can be easily transferred to modern energy applications, as long as companies follow the CSS example and embrace change.

“Right now, we are pushing hard with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) because the UK has just launched

its first round of licensing for CCS projects. We have one client engaged in the early stages of a project. They have applied for the license and will get the go ahead likely next year. Then, we have another client building a proposal for a CCS project.”

Of course, building models and creating products and services for new industries is not simple. Lindsay recognises the challenge and has surrounded CSS with specialists - industry veterans with unrivalled knowledge.

“I’m on a committee as part of the Society for Petroleum Engineers which is tasked with the roadmap of

core analysis. This opens up fantastic opportunities for us as a business.

“We have put together a team around CCS with 80 years’ experience and these people are experts in everything in that industry, so a client has so much available to them. This is our USP against others. We are all about building teams that can provide everything possible.

CCS is our focus as it is very relevant right now in the UK. We are also going to be doing the same thing for geothermal and radioactive waste management where we have projects in the pipeline. These projects are not at a stage where they can support our entire business

STRATUM RESERVOIR - industry leader in rock and fluid analysis and interpretation for the energy, CCUS, mining and environmental industries.

Stratum Reservoir is a specialist geosciences Company with a history of analysis and interpretation of rocks and fluids which can be traced back almost 50 years.

A Worldwide network of customer-focused laboratories and a team of industry leading experts support the discovery and sustainable development of energy resources through applied geosciences.

Close collaboration with clients and third-party specialists such as Core Specialist Services is a key aspect in Stratum’s approach. Through these partnerships specific challenges can be identified - and tailored, optimized solutions then found and delivered.

In response to the changing needs of clients and evolution of adjacent markets, developments have also been made in support of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), New Energies - such as Geothermal, Environmental and Mining projects. In terms of laboratory workflows and analyses there is often considerable synergy between these emerging Energy Transition markets and Oil and Gas focused studies. This has provided Stratum opportunities to diversify. In addition, Stratum has been focusing on digital transformation, automation, databasing and machine learning applications to meet industry challenges and demands.

A key enabler of this diversification is the multidiscipline capability of the organization – formed from the consolidation of many niche specialist companies over time. In addition, the in-house capabilities of

instrument design and manufacture allows the development of the laboratory capabilities in line with changing requirements.

For emerging markets, Stratum is actively involved in developing workflows and laboratory best practices in support of CCUS projects – building on 20 years’ experience The goal is the continual improvement in the understanding of CO2 sequestration challenges, and therefore enhanced solutions through modelling and optimization.

However, more traditional applications can also benefit from improvements in technology and new developments in data acquisition methodologies. For instance, rock sample availability can often be a limiting factor in Oil and Gas projects. In response, Stratum has developed a suite of analyses and techniques to derive high value data from widely available “rock cuttings” –the always available by-product of drilling boreholes. This data can help operators more accurately define resource estimates, improve reservoir modelling and ultimately realize the maximum value and profitability from the resource.

Stratum therefore continues to leverage the expertise and capabilities available across all areas of the business to bring tangible benefits to customers all around the globe.

WHY STRATUM?

• Almost 50 years experience Technical support and collaboration from over 60 Subject Matter Experts

• Diverse capability: Oil and Gas CCUS

• Geothermal

• Mining Environmental

• Cost effective, optimised solutions

We are members of the Norwegian CCS Research Centre (NCCS) and The Global CCS Institute.

MORE INFORMATION: Email: Sales.EuropeAfrica@stratumreservoir.com Tel: +47 51 81 66 00 Website: www.stratumreservoir.com

CORE SPECIALIST SERVICES

but it is moving in that direction,” Lindsay says of a changing industry.

As the energy transition gathers pace, CSS wants to ensure it casts a wide net, offering clients everything they could need when it comes to core analysis as well as services in alternate industry sectors. As always for CSS, it is about building knowledge first, before creating an all-encompassing offering for clients.

PEOPLE POWER

“It’s a chicken and egg situation, it’s relatively new for the UK. We have built a team of experts so that we can present to clients and put together a comprehensive package. There is no one service provider that has all the expertise and can provide all the services so we put together a package that can deliver the whole thing as a one-stop-shop.

We present our customers with options and they can choose, based on cost and everything else,” details Lindsay.

Going forward, this exciting and highly-technical business will be building new partnerships so that the very best tech available can be utilised to provide not just data, but 3D modelling, Virtual Reality (VR) simulation, Augmented Reality (AR) learning and more.

“I get very enthusiastic about new technology and working with partner companies,” says Lindsay. “The older I get, the more enthused I get about getting more involved in the latest technology,” he smiles.

“We are busy working with VR and AR and it is about visualising data around cores, using things like Oculus headsets, bringing huge advantages in terms of the amount

of information you can access.”

Whether it is specialist core analysis for a major IOC or exploration lab, or turn-key solution for a geothermal project business, CSS is preparing itself for a skills transfer as it embraces the transition by promoting traditional skills.

“Every piece and part of every core has a story to tell,” the company states.

“At Core Specialist Services we have a passion for core and all aspects of core analysis,” but this passion is extending to new spheres as more and more search for reliable partners who can disseminate information in a friendly manner, while allowing for informed and precise decision making that ultimately results in improved ROI.

Stratum Reservoir is an industry leader in rock and fluid analysis and interpretation for the energy, CCUS, mining and environmental industries.

Rock Solid Data

Fluid Intelligence

Deep Knowledge

MERLIN ERD

Complex Wells Specialist Weaves Magic Globally

Established in 2007, Merlin, a company specialising in delivery assurance for extended reach and complex wells, has helped clients to successfully deliver close to 500 projects in 52 countries. As reserves become smaller and more difficult to access, these specialist techniques become ever-more important to enable the exploitation of hydrocarbons which would otherwise be uneconomic to produce – this is where Merlin and its specialism in the extraordinary comes in.

PRODUCTION: Tommy Atkinson

INDUSTRY FOCUS: DRILLING

//The term extended-reach drilling (ERD) was coined in the early 1980s by Mobil Oil Company and presents a unique challenge for directional drilling, requiring specialised planning to execute well construction. Since first used, the scope of ERD has broadened and the definition is now more flexible, encompassing deep wells with large diameter high angle hole sections, required to facilitate the necessary step out for larger reservoir penetrations.

The drilling industry’s ERD database classifies wells, with increasing degree of well construction complexity, into low-, medium-, extended- and ultra extended-reach wells . Construction complexity depends on many factors, including water depth for offshore wells, rig capability, geologic constraints, and overall true vertical depth (TVD). Essentially, ERD is a technology for drilling longer wells at a high inclination angle to reach underground oil and natural gas deposits further away from the surface drilling location, instead of drilling wells vertically.

Though renowned as being

among the most challenging of all well projects for a litany of reasons, Merlin’s Technical Development Director Stewart McGregor describes this complex drilling as ‘bread and butter’ for this independent engineering consultancy.

PROBLEM SOLVERS

“Within the drilling industry, the term extended-reach drilling has a very specific technical definition,” he explains. “At Merlin we are worldclass drilling engineering advisors, collaborators, and educators, positioned to offer independent advice, support,

and ultimately delivery assurance for extended reach and challenging high angle wells. From upfront engineering, training, through to execution in the field, Merlin ensures project value is delivered and objectives are met.

“We bring expertise, experience and energy to our drilling projects, and we know exactly what works, because we do it day after day, all over the globe. Merlin has an enviable track record of delivering value to clients through bringing additional reserves on stream, without equipment upgrades, with wells previously perceived as impossible.”

What arguably sums up Merlin best is ‘problem solvers’. From deepwater exploration into tectonically unstable zones, to wells in complex geo-mechanical environments, Merlin has seen and helped solve problems believed to be intractable, and engineered wells previously thought un-drillable. “We are not exclusively focussed on extendedreach drilling,” McGregor stresses, “but where we really come into our own is in assisting people to accomplish something a little bit different from what they are used to doing - any departure from their own norms.

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“We place all of this under the overarching ‘complex wells’ banner, which means different things to each operator depending upon the context, and our approach must be flexible and tailored each time. All of these considerations can add a further layer of complexity, and we are there to guide people through the planning and execution phase of something which is outside of their usual specialism and ensure the technical aspects are all in place to facilitate it.

“What we are selling is assurance, and where we can add value, is in helping people to deliver wells according to the time and budget estimates that have been quoted to their respective management. Clients leverage our knowledge and techniques to make challenging wells simple, marginal projects economical, and problematic operations trouble-free.

“The results speak for themselves with lower drilling costs, fewer problems, more production sooner,

and an up-skilled workforce with ever-increasing confidence, desire, and ability to design and deliver ever more challenging wells, with greater retained economic value in NPV terms.”

GLOBALLY ENGAGED

On the back of a number of active, productive years, this is shaping up to be the busiest 12 months yet, according to McGregor. “We have work going on all over the place at the moment, some of the most interesting of which has been for a multinational service company in the USA,” he outlines. “This project has not been so much about the drilling process itself, rather the focus has been on software - it has been enlightening and value-adding for all concerned.

“We do a lot of work in New Zealand for an operator tackling some challenging wells, where drilling is taking place at this moment. For one of the world’s super majors we are supporting in the development of a raft of training materials geared

towards improvements in well delivery in one of their flagship assets.

“In Asia, we have joined up with another multinational service provider drilling turnkey wells, whilst in Kurdistan a smaller independent operator approached us to support operations on their five rigs. We were drafted in following a period fraught with technical problems to train the workforce and fortify them operationally, a similar job to one we had done earlier in the year for a major operator off the coast of West Africa.

“In the same location we supported deep water drilling operations for a different player, and what makes these wells especially interesting is that there is really not a huge amount of relevant material or offset wells at this water depth, making it truly edge of the envelope stuff for that particular environment.”

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCES

The competence and experience that Merlin brings is needed now more than ever, McGregor elaborates. “Ever since 2015 there has been a perceptible exit from the industry of a vast amount of competence and experience, and as activity has ramped up it has left a general shortage of skills across both the service and operator spectrum. This all culminates in issues with

drilling performance and well delivery assurance - operators being able to deliver what they promised in their stated timeframes. From experience, drillers need to deliver what they said they would, when they said they would.

“This aligns very well with Merlin’s business MO, which is to provide experienced and knowledgeable people who know how these areas work intimately and can apply their knowledge to all sorts of different wells. Typically, the guys we send out into the field have 20 or 25 years of experience behind them in extended reach and complex well drilling operations.”

Since moving to an employee ownership model five years ago, three of the ensuing years have delivered record returns for Merlin, with 2022 expected to surpass all previous years as demand for services rebounds strongly. “One major advantage of this structure

is that we are able to take profits out of the business and into the hands of individual employees when the company does well,” says McGregor.

“It also helps to ensure that our ultimate objective the bottom line, which is servicing - enabling our clients to drill further, faster, more efficiently is the focus of attention for everyone in the business. There is a very clear connection between what we all do on a day-to-day basis, how that impacts on our clients, and how that contributes to everyone’s bottom line.”

With revenue currently expected to reach £6.7 million by the end of 2022, McGregor advises that there are various ways in which Merlin is striving to reach the £10 million per year mark. “Organic growth is very much our model – developing our core business, adding capability and expanding geographically. Merlin has

already added a managed pressure drilling specialism which is a key enabling technology, and has also developed its own drilling engineering software which is helping it to grow the business in another direction.”

But it’s not just about oil and gas. “We believe Merlin has a real role to play from a renewable energy perspective, and our next big challenge is to figure out exactly where it is that Merlin’s capability and expertise can best add value.” McGregor finishes. “We are trying to cast the net as widely as possible, leaving no stone unturned in our assessment of this, while successfully maintaining, developing and improving our core service offering to the peerless standards expected of us.”

Lede is one of Norway’s largest companies, distributing electricity to some 210,000 customers in Vestfold, Grenland and Hjartdal in Telemark and Svelvik in Vike as well as being owner and operator of the regional network in Vestfold and Telemark. There has been a sizeable, multi-faceted cultural evolution, relates CEO Øivind Askvik, as Lede targets flawless efficiency and a role as an active partner in the green shift.

PRODUCTION: Tommy Atkinson

INDUSTRY FOCUS: TRANSMISSION

//Lede is one of three whollyowned subsidiaries of Norwegian utility company Skagerak Energi, synonymous for many years with the production, sale and transmission of electric power and other energy. Delivering in excess of seven TWh annually, around 30% of this is put to use by large industrial customers principally in Grenland, with Telemark having been one of Norway’s most important industrial regions for centuries.

Lede operates an enormous 17,600 kilometres of power grids, both for regional and distribution applications and typically 132KV, and manages an employed capital

equivalent to NOK 5,127 million. With a name change in February last year, to separate the business from Skagerak Energi, Lede has been honing its craft since formation in January 2001.

Fiercely local and loyal to those who depend upon it for this most primary of needs, Lede’s employees are well known for recognising the fact that there must always be electricity for light and heat where its customers and residents live and work, and working

tirelessly to provide it. “That is why you often meet a Lede car on the road,” the company expands. “We are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and as a result we are very well-known locally and always there when you need us.”

CULTURAL SHIFT

Lede is responsible for the maintenance, operation and construction of the grid, with around 400 employees covering every base

// WE ARE DRIVING DIGITALISATION AND ARE AMONG THE BEST IN NORWAY WHEN IT COMES TO USING DATA TO INFORM OUR DECISIONS

from customer service right through to the end product reaching the consumer through the cable. This holistic offering has been one key focus for CEO Øivind Askvik during his time in post, he informs us, shattering the status quo he felt had been allowed to endure.

“When I started at Lede, as is often the case with companies like us owned by municipalities or states, there was no focus on competition and therefore none on the customer - the only focus was inwards,” he relates. Askvik came into the CEO role in 2017, with a background in both army and navy for close to a decade before spending 15 years at leading engineering company ABB, in Norway

and Zurich and working globally.

“I wanted to take the company from this starting position and transform it to be completely customerorientated; my theory was, and remains, that since the customer does not have a choice as to their preferred operator, this should make us want and strive to be the best in Norway. That way, they get the most value, as we are taking the money that they are spending and using it in the best way possible - we

have to think as a private company and be efficient in all that we do.

“This required a major cultural change, and we have been on this ‘culture journey’ since 2019, which has seen us drastically improve our operational margins. We are driving digitalisation and are among the best in Norway now when it comes to using data to inform our decisions - to become a data-driven grid company is one of our main strategic targets.

“Having agile teams developing different applications for us has also been key, and continuing to make the shift from a hierarchy to a team-based way of working is still high on the agenda.”

RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY

“As a result, too, our guys in the field are becoming increasingly autonomous and able to do more and more independently, without the help of our administration office.” Askvik reveals, explaining that gradually this is all coming together in the form of tangible cultural and procedural shifts as well as in overall ways of working, leading to the company becoming more efficient and therefore delivering both more output and better results.

“We are constantly measured on efficiency in Norway, like all 105 power companies, from those that are very small to the very biggest.

The regulator uses a complex data model to essentially calculate the amount of money required by each player in order to be 100% efficient; to be below this is really not good, as it means an exponentially greater cost to the customer.”

It is a critical metric, Askvik explains, and everything implemented at Lede in recent years in clearly having massive positive reverberations.

“Exceeding this level of efficiency, on the other hand, is massively beneficial, giving the customer lower grid tariffs as well as more earnings for the owners.

SPARK

Safety, flexibility and autonomy for your colleagues in the field

We are building tools which enable field workers to check the grid situation before they arrive. Empower them to plan out the work, test the changes virtually, and use preventative safety measures like disconnecting all nearby electric cars - all on their tablet. volue.com/spark

INDUSTRY FOCUS: TRANSMISSION

Just three years ago, in 2019, we were at in the region of 92% efficiency; today this figure stands at 109%.

“The changes over the last couple of years for us have been fairly monumental, and mean that currently we are number two in the top 12 Norwegian energy companies for efficiency,” Askvik offers. “Next year the goal is to improve that to lead the way, which we fully believe will happen if the industry develops in the way we have predicted.” Another aspect of Lede’s efficiency is avoiding downtime at all costs, Askvik stresses.

“We have come to realise just how dependent people are on electricity

for everything, both domestically and commercially, and we therefore are aiming to be online 100% of the time. This amount of uptime is incredibly expensive, due to the sheer amount of resources it necessitates, but currently we at 99.996% - the last remaining decimal point is incredibly difficult to wipe off, but we are getting there.

“We are already one of the top five companies in Norway for consistently remaining online and reliable.”

DECISIVE DIGITALISATION

Elaborating further on the question of digitalisation, and how it has been achieved at Lede, Askvik is clear. “It was implemented in stages,” he replies, “starting by combining

some of our own people, working in the field, and those from one of our external suppliers, from which we developed what we called the ‘Hero in the Field’ group. From this we have been able to build up a pool of data from which we can pick and put together applications relevant to different users in the company.

“Conversely to this approach, many companies still work from theoretical images, whereas we can now run the grid in a much better way. This technology is also allowing us to postpone our investment into a new grid and elongate the lifetime of the existing infrastructure, which is all incredibly exciting.” The two most important strategic drivers for

Lede, and for the power distribution business as a whole, relate inarguably to the digital shift and the green shift. The digital shift encompasses all those elements already well under way at Lede, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, machine learning, robotics and, most lately, mobile solutions.

“As a leader, we know that we must be a socially responsible player in the energy industry,” underlines Askvik. “The company has environmental

considerations at the forefront of all its activities, and is seizing opportunities to contribute to society’s climate and environmental goals being reached within the areas we can influence.”

Electrification of the transport sector is of course well under way, with further major investment expected in the future, which will bring the need for the likes of Lede to facilitate electric car charging, train development and land current to ship, for starters. With solar and wind also widespread energy sources in Norway, as well as biomass, and vital to sustainable energy production is the effective connection of such power plants to the power grid.

“The rapid development of technology results in constantly falling costs for local production and storage of electricity,” Askvik assesses,

“which will lead to a new and more flexible use of the current power grid and result in an altogether more complicated network operation. This suits Lede down to the ground, as we target a future as a forwardlooking supplier of clean energy that contributes to social welfare, economic growth and development.

“We will think new thoughts, develop opportunities and create solutions, using our knowledge and experience to reach ambitious goals and be recognised as a leader in our industry.”

Furthering its African credentials, Vexila became fully South African-owned when the Thesele Group acquired the company in 2018, rebranding from Pfisterer to Vexila in 2020. Thesele is a 100% black-owned investment company whose strategy is to develop Vexila into a proudly African Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in support of the critical roll-out of electrical and rail infrastructure on the continent and beyond.

“Over the past 40 years, we have grown into one of the largest manufacturers of composite insulators and associated products on the African continent with the most complete product offering in the market,” CEO Gary Whalley commented.

“We’re really excited, as an African OEM, to continue supplying and developing innovative products in support of infrastructure that will underpin economic development in Africa, as well as export markets outside of the continent” he said.

As this exciting, ambitious, and innovative business continues to thrive in Africa, power transmission and distribution will be invariably improved with products that are suitable for their environment, working to international quality standards, and manufactured by those that understand operating conditions.

CONTENT SPONSORED BY VEXILA WWW.VEXILA.COM

OCEANS WIND: MORAY WEST

Strong Scottish Wind Spins Through Moray Firth

Three major wind farms from Oceans Wind will change Scotland’s energy make up dramatically as they are brought online in the Moray Firth over the next decade. Moray East, Moray West, and Caledonia will provide millions of homes and businesses with affordable and clean energy, proving the power of the renewable industry.

PRODUCTION: Joe Forshaw

INDUSTRY FOCUS: WIND

//In 2019, EDP Renewables and ENGIE formed a joint venture aligning the two companies’ vision for a future powered by more renewable power than ever before. By 2025, the companies expect 5-10 GW to be under advanced stages of development in Europe, North America, and Asia. By harnessing the power of wind, particularly offshore, the new JV - Oceans Wind – will unlock significant value in terms of financial gain but also renewable energy knowhow. Offshore wind is the fastestgrowing technology in the world, and both Spanish EDP Renewables and French ENGIE are experienced in the sector, sharing various projects over the past five years.

Underway right now is the exciting Moray West project in Scottish North

Sea waters. Following from the Moray East build – Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm – which achieved first power in June 21 and installed its last turbine in September 21, there is much excitement

in the Moray Firth. This inlet of cold, rough North Sea water, emanating out from Inverness, which will eventually be home to the Moray East, Moray West, Beatrice, and Caledonia wind

OCEANS WIND: MORAY WEST

farms, will generate major green power for Scotland and stand as an example of what is possible off the coastline thought to previously only be valuable from and oil and gas perspective.

EAST

Moray East is a significant landmark for Scottish energy in its own right. Planning began in 2010 and the proposal initially raised eyebrows

because of the project’s distance from shore and water depth. Using the very best technology available, planners opted for size to bring commercial value. Using tripod foundations rather than traditional four-legged jackets, and 9.5 MW turbines, the project generates 950 MW. This is enough clean energy for 950,000 average Scottish homes, taking 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere that

would have otherwise been generated with traditional gas fired sources.

When the first turbine was installed offshore in icy cold January 2021, the major onshore operation was already in full swing with parts arriving at ports and being prepped for their 22km offshore journey to site.

“This has demanded precision engineering with massive components, requiring excellent co-operation and co-ordination between a range of companies both on land and at sea, and I would like to offer my thanks and congratulations to all those who have made this most distinctive and visible milestone possible,” said Head of Construction, Enrique Alvarez Cordobes.

Covering almost 300 km2, and sending power through more than 500 km of cable, the scale of work

// THIS HAS DEMANDED PRECISION ENGINEERING WITH MASSIVE COMPONENTS, REQUIRING EXCELLENT CO-OPERATION AND CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN A RANGE OF COMPANIES BOTH ON LAND AND AT SEA

INDUSTRY FOCUS: WIND

was previously unseen in Scotland.

“Moray East is the country’s largest infrastructure project, and a massive amount of effort – represented by tonnes of steel and kilometres of cable –much of this below ground or sea - have been required to get us to this point,” said Project Director, Marcel Sunier

“This is a truly amazing team effort considering the circumstances under which the teams had to work to achieve that important milestone,” he said of the installation of the first turbine. “The resilience and good co-operation was one of the key factors in achieving this. I am looking forward to see the remaining 99 wind turbines being installed safely and successfully during the forthcoming months and wish to thank all those involved in making this happen.”

Nine months later, and Sunier’s hopes were realised. Turbine number 100 from Vestas was set atop its tower, reaching a total height of 669 feet.

Enrique Alvarez Cordobes, since climbing the ladder to become Project Director, provided insight into this unique development that can provide 40% of the country’s electricity.

“In the face of unprecedented global conditions we have safely completed the installation of 100 turbines within the challenging timescale of a single season, and I would like to thank and congratulate all those involved in achieving this milestone safely,” he said.

“Just a decade ago, commercialscale offshore wind generation in water depths of 50m and more was a vision. We have not only turned that into a reality, but are generating power at less than half the cost of earlier windfarms

in shallow water, close to shore.”

Vestas Project Director, Allan Birk Wisby added: “Vestas is proud to have completed delivery and installation of the 100 V164-9.5 MW turbines to the Moray East project, which is a significant step in the right direction of the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy mix. Amidst the challenges of Covid-19, the Vestas and Moray East teams have collaborated tremendously well, installing some of the most powerful turbines in the world safely and on schedule. This has been an excellent achievement by all the project partners and all companies involved in installation.”

Importantly, the power from Moray East is delivered cheaper than

// THIS IS JUST THE START OF OUR VISION FOR THE MORAY FIRTH AND WIDE, DEEP EXPANSE OF THE SCOTTISH SEA AREA //

The air our ocean deserves

OCEANS

WIND: MORAY WEST

other wind projects around UK waters. £57.50 per MWhr is the lowest cost of any new renewable generation and two thirds that of others, typically upward of £140 per MWhr.

In October 2021, the new O&M base was launched at Fraserburgh Harbour. Daily maintenance activities will be performed from Fraserburgh, and the site has received significant investment. Various business and

government leaders were on site to mark the occasion, with Dan Finch, Managing Director of Ocean Winds UK stating: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government has been able to join us in marking this important milestone, which represents the concrete-andsteel realisation of the vision for offshore wind we brought to the Moray Firth more than a decade ago.

“The O&M base is the landbased hub for the massive offshore infrastructure of Moray East. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with delivering the project – the communities and organisations who have supported the development, our suppliers and our staff – whose commitment has delivered a facility of which Scotland can be proud.

“At a time when security of energy supply is front and centre of

the agenda, Moray East is coming on stream with a secure supply of low cost, low carbon energy from domestic renewable resources.

“This is just the start of our vision for the Moray Firth and wide, deep expanse of the Scottish sea area. In the short term, our sister project, Moray West is shovel ready, and just waiting for a CfD to proceed to construction.”

Full output was achieved in April 2022 and, while significant power was produced as construction was completed, this milestone was widely celebrated. “Offshore wind has a unique advantage; we don’t have to wait until work has finished to switch on. Output can start after the first few turbines have been commissioned and increase incrementally as work progresses. Over the period of nine months from June last year, as more

INDUSTRY FOCUS: WIND

and more of our 100 turbines were installed, we supplied more and more electricity to the gird – 1,415 000 MWhrs,” said Alvarez Cordobes.

WEST

Moray West’s CfD was signed in July 2022, and contracts have started to flow to some of the industry’s big names. First power from this 882 MW project is expected in 2024 and excitement is already building.

“Ocean Winds is pleased to receive a CfD offer for its Moray West project and continues to focus its efforts and expertise on reaching FID and delivering the project on time,” said Grzegorz Gorski, COO at Ocean Winds. “We are particularly proud of our longterm commitment with the UK. In the Moray Firth area, where our Moray East project is now operational and where we were awarded a new lease area in January 2022, we have built strong relationships with our stakeholders, shaping together a growing offshore wind sector and delivering clean energy and opportunities for the region.”

Moray West Project Director, Adam Morrison reiterated feelings of excitement within the ranks. “Securing the recently announced large scale corporate PPA enabled the project to build a contracted revenue stack that reduced risks around the CfD process. We now look forward to taking Moray West through its construction phase and delivering significant economic opportunities for Scotland and the UK,” he said.

Moray West will host 60 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD turbines, with blades manufactured in Hull. A service agreement is also included and feeds into the localisation attributes of Oceans Wind in the UK.

“Following the announcement that Siemens Gamesa was the preferred bidder, we are delighted to have finalised agreements for supply and installation of the SG 14-222 DD turbines and their servicing,” says Morrison. “Siemens Gamesa has a strong track record, and this model will allow the next progression in efficiency for offshore wind power generation. We

are particularly pleased that our early commitments to Siemens Gamesa will result in the first of the 108 m blades from the expanded Hull facility being used on Moray West. We look forward to working with Siemens Gamesa to ensure a smooth and safe installation programme from the Nigg pre-assembly port as we move towards generation from this major renewables project – stepping towards Net Zero, increasing energy security and lowering the cost of energy.”

Covering 225 km2, more than 22.5 km from the coast, powering 640,000 homes and businesses, Moray West is no small undertaking. From a base at the Port of Nigg, turbines will be pre-assembled and prepped for installation. In the Cromarty Firth, the Port of Nigg has proven itself ideally located and highly capable of servicing North Sea wind farms.

“The decision to utilise Nigg follows three successful and safe large installation campaigns, including our sister project Moray East. Having suitable facilities to secure the

The Port of Nigg with earlier Siemens Gamesa pre-assembly activity - Global Energy Group

OCEANS

WIND: MORAY WEST

Moray West work has underlined the value of earlier investments in Nigg and the ongoing need to invest in quayside infrastructure to support the growth of the sector. The recent success in the ScotWind leasing round means that Ocean Winds will make significant early investments to drive the next steps necessary to build capability and capacity in the Scottish supply chain,” said Morrison.

Nexans, another highly experienced in offshore wind farm development, has been selected to provide onshore and offshore cabling for the project and will deliver state-of-the-art HVAC cabling including 220kV and 400kV onshore buried, connecting to the national grid.

“Nexans are delighted to have secured this important, and our first, offshore windfarm project with Ocean Winds,” said Ragnhild Katteland, EVP Subsea & Land Systems of Nexans. “This award re-confirms Nexans as a leading partner in the offshore renewable market and enables further support of our highly skilled onshore workforce based in Edinburgh working in close collaboration with local and nationwide contractors. We look forward to

supporting another critical Scottish offshore windfarm electrify the future towards the net zero goal by 2045.”

CALEDONIA

In September, Oceans Wind received the go ahead from Crown Estate Scotland to develop its 2 GW Caledonia wind farm. Alongside Moray East and West, Caledonia will come online in 2030 following planning and environmental surveys scheduled to begin in 2024.

Gardline has been contracted to carry out a seabed survey aboard the Ocean Endeavour, collecting data to begin the planning process.

Mark Baxter, Project Director for Caledonia, said speed of bringing this project online is the focus.

“The first activity on site is an exciting milestone for any project. Having been awarded the site in January, we are following an ambitious timeline to bring Caledonia on-stream as quickly as possible to meet the shortage of low-carbon energy which is underlying cause of the current energy crisis.

“At this stage of the project we’re in the consenting phase. We’re trying

to engage with Scottish suppliers in the development phase, and then we’ll crack on into construction and operations and maintenance.

“We have Fraserburgh and Buckie as two O&M bases that we’re already operation from, so we’re very used to working in the north-east and we’re hoping we can expand that further with Caledonia,” he said.

The ambition and success achieved by Oceans Wind in Scotland should act as an example to follow for others in the industry. Green power can be profitable, it is sustainable, and it can be rolled out quickly. When strong relationships are built between private and public sector institutions, positivity is quickly realised.

The mission of Oceans Wind is to ‘make offshore wind one of the main sources of renewable energy by delivering more efficient and sustainable wind energy solutions’, and all signs show that this innovative business is achieving this.

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Fifty percent of UK offshore wind production is supported by our extensive network of ports and know-how.

We look forward to continuing the journey with you.

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