Shell’s new projects benefiting from ABL’s ‘one-stop solution’ for asset management

UK-headquartered energy giant Shell is set on employing a cloud-based master data build and optimization software from ABL, part of the Oslo-listed energy consultancy group ABL Group, across various new projects to achieve asset management efficiencies.

To this end, Shell contracted ABL’s Effio, which is said to have the capability of achieving significant time and cost efficiencies for projects, to support a number of its large-scale newbuild developments, including LNG Canada, Crux, and Jackdaw. As part of the scope of work for Shell and ahead of further global deployment across new projects, the software has been deployed on LNG Canada and one of the oil major’s Canada-based shale gas projects where standard operate-phased master data management tools are not yet in place.

Stuart Murray, Head of Technical at ABL’s Asset and Integrity Management team, highlighted: “The Effio tool has helped accelerate the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) build by as much as 50% compared to a conventional project. This is done by introducing a novel solution that eliminates many MS Excel heavy activities common in CMMS projects, spanning data preparation, field population, quality checks and complex transmittal package management.”

Developed by ABL’s in-house software team, the Effio software is used on all internal new projects for data enhancement, build, and optimization of maintenance, materials, and resource load levelling/grouping. According to the company, this tool provides “a one-stop solution for controlled, efficient, consistent and connected deployment of an asset management strategy.” The asset management software is qualified for both the international ISO standard and the Norwegian NORSOK offshore standard.

Furthermore, Effio enables the automation of some activities within a maintenance build by capturing the learning from projects as rules and governance and enhancing each project delivery by allowing it to run QA checks on data sets before bulk loading into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system or a CMMS. Previously, the software was used on multiple upstream oil and gas projects with several clients, including supermajors, international oil companies, and FPSO operators.

In addition, ABL claims that its software tool was deployed on projects in the downstream processing and renewable energy industries, as it enables clients to migrate systems, for example, to move from SAP to SAP S/4HANA and when merging acquired assets into the organization. The firm’s asset integrity management teams in Aberdeen and London are in charge of managing the project from the supplier side.

“Our goal is focusing on getting data right the first time and building trust in the business through applying established industry and data standards such as ISO standard, CFIHOS, etc. We are looking forward to continuing our support as Effio adoption expands,” added Murray.

The Jackdaw field is located approximately 250 km east of Aberdeen, Scotland, and is adjacent to the UK/Norway median line. The project will comprise a wellhead platform that is not permanently attended, along with subsea infrastructure, which will be tied back to Shell’s existing Shearwater gas hub.

The project is expected to come online in the mid-2020s, and at peak production rates, could represent over 6% of projected UK North Sea gas production in the middle of this decade, with operational emissions of less than 1% of the whole UK basin, which is enough energy to heat 1.4 million homes. Peak production from the field is estimated at 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

On the other hand, the Shell-led LNG Canada project will encompass a natural gas receiving and LNG production unit, a marine terminal with the capacity to accommodate two LNG carriers, a tugboat dock, and LNG loading lines. This project will also come with LNG processing units, storage tanks, a rail yard, a water treatment facility, and flare stacks.

LNG Canada’s production capacity is anticipated to be 14 million tons per annum (mtpa) from the first two trains, with the potential to expand to four trains in the future. The first shipment of LNG is scheduled for mid-decade.

Last but not least, the Crux development, sanctioned in May 2022, is located in Commonwealth waters in the northern Browse Basin, 190 kilometers offshore northwest Australia and 620 km northeast of Broome, in approximately 165 meters of water depth.

This gas field has been identified as a source of backfill gas for the existing Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility. As a result, Crux will have the capacity to supply the Prelude FLNG facility with up to 550 million standard cubic feet of gas per day(mmscfd).

The development of this project will consist of a platform operated remotely from Prelude while five wells are expected to be drilled initially. Moreover, an export pipeline will connect the platform to Prelude, around 160 kilometers southwest of Crux. Shell anticipates the first gas in 2027.