Operator cheers first gas from wind and solar powered platform off Trinidad

DeNovo Energy, a subsidiary of Proman, has achieved the first gas from a project entailing a renewable energy-powered platform, located offshore western Trinidad.

Following a FEED contract awarded by DeNovo in May 2020, Aquaterra Energy completed the engineering design of a Sea Swift-type offshore platform for the Zandolie field.

The company handed out several contracts in 2021 aimed at bringing its Zandolie project to life. To this end, the firm awarded a shore-based services contract to Peterson in October 2021, following the contract for the construction, installation, and commissioning of its new Zandolie platform with United Engineering Services awarded earlier that month.

In December last year, DeNovo awarded a deal to Oil Plus for the development of a maintenance strategy and programme for the platform which would support its green strategies and ambitions for delivering a lower carbon emissions future.

In an update on Wednesday, DeNovo Energy announced the delivery of the first gas from its Zandolie field in Block 1A in the Gulf of Paria, located approximately 45 kilometres offshore from the Point Lisas Industrial Estate. This is its second offshore field development in this block on the west coast of Trinidad.

Claus Cronberger, Managing Director Proman Trinidad and Tobago and Chairman of DeNovo, said: “The first commercial gas supply from Zandolie is a significant accomplishment. Across the Proman family of companies, we have always been driven by innovation and the use of best-in-class technology in our facilities, and Zandolie exemplifies this thinking. Our teams at DeNovo and Proman Trinidad and Tobago, and our local contractor partners, have done an outstanding job delivering this world-class facility.

“Together we have achieved a significant first for Trinidad and Tobago, demonstrating our drive to enhance the competitiveness of the local energy sector, increase the security of our country’s gas supply by developing stranded gas reserves, and continuing to deliver opportunities to grow local talent.”

According to the company, Zandolie – with an investment of $52 million – was completed within 31 months amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and there have been zero loss time incidents (LTIs) to date from 476,613 manhours with approximately 371 persons employed at peak of construction. The firm further explained that overall, the Zandolie project was delivered with 56.4 per cent local content spend.

Based on DeNovo’s statement, Zandolie is a single-well, conductor-supported platform with a nameplate capacity of 40 MMSCFD. The unmanned gas-producing Zandolie platform uses a combination of power generated by a wind turbine and a solar bank, with a battery for storing any excess energy.

While the field development builds on the existing Iguana infrastructure, enabling a more compact topside structure that is lighter and more efficient, the space-saving achieved also minimises the use of steel in the design, allowing for a modular design and “greater use of local fabrication services.”

The self-powered platform with a wind turbine and a solar bank uses a dual-energy resource to reduce intermittency risk, eliminating the need for traditional diesel generators for power, which significantly reduces emissions including those associated with the maintenance and logistics for refuelling visits to the platform.

Bryan Ramsumair, DeNovo’s Managing Director, stated: “This critical milestone in DeNovo’s second field development highlights the drive by the team to constantly improve and learn. We pushed ourselves to deliver a greener and more local platform. The result is that the Zandolie platform is a local fabrication which is 100 per cent powered by renewable energy – and which will minimize the carbon footprint of our operations.

“It is our intention to keep acquiring access to new acreage to allow us to do more projects like this on a regular basis. With Zandolie, DeNovo is demonstrating that our future energy industry can be done locally and with a lower carbon footprint – both aligned to the country’s development objectives.”

The company explains that the “ground-breaking” integration of renewable resources makes Zandolie “the first design of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago.” Powered by wind and solar, the 100 per cent renewably powered platform was also fully fabricated in the country, affirming DeNovo’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and maximising local talent and resources.

This platform has been designed to prevent methane slip in the transportation of gas during the extraction process and in its movement to the firm’s on-shore gas processing facility within the Point Lisas Industrial Estate.

Moreover, the construction of the platform was completed at the United Engineering Services Limited (UESL) local fabrication yard, and the Zandolie drilling campaign was also safely conducted by the local Well Services Rig 110.

Stuart R. Young, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, remarked: “I am very pleased to witness this successful milestone achieved by DeNovo. The story of local fabrication and skills as well as personnel used for Zandolie proves that it can be done. I encourage DeNovo to continue pursuing opportunities for increased gas production in Trinidad and Tobago and look forward to more success from you.”