Deep geothermal delivery specialist CeraPhi Energy has been awarded the first of its kind geothermal study to undertake the repurposing of offshore oil and gas wells using its proprietary advanced closed-loop system
The study will cover the initial phase of a staged process to determine how retrofitted wells can reduce the carbon footprint of an operating platform.
The project is being led by the CeraPhi subsurface engineering team in collaboration with topside engineering services company Petrofac. The study will use EnQuest’s Magnus Platform as the base case.
The Magnus Platform, formally operated by BP, is one of the UK's largest operating facilities and sits north of the Shetland Islands. Magnus is a fully integrated drilling and production facility with a design capacity of 85,400 bpd of crude oil, 110 mmscfd of gas export and a maximum of 240,000 bpd of produced water.
The study will incorporate the use of CeraPhi's proprietary advanced closed-loop technology, CeraPhiWell, which is designed to fit into old wells to extract heat from deep underground by a downhole heat exchanger. Depending on the operating temperatures established in the study the heat produced could be used as direct power and/or heating or cooling for utilities and other services reducing the overall carbon emissions of the facility.
Karl Farrow, CeraPhi, Founder and CEO, said, “This award is a statement to how the oil and gas industry is transitioning in the decarbonisation of the oil and gas extraction process.”
“If we can use old non-productive wells to produce clean baseload energy, why can’t we make those same wells produce carbon-free energy when they are drilled, reducing the carbon footprint during the oil and gas extraction process and ensuring the maximum use of these assets through a complete energy transition over decades,” Karl furthered.
Craig Nicol, Project Manager, NZTC, said, “We are delighted to be supporting CeraPhi with this ground-breaking project that if proven could become a serious contributor to the renewable energy mix. The industry is facing a significant challenge to decommissioning wells that have come to the end of their production, this novel approach has the potential to extend their life whilst delivering on our net-zero targets.”
Jonathan Carpenter, Vice-President, Petrofac New Energy Services, said, “Our engineering specialists are looking forward to working with CeraPhi on this pioneering study, which has the potential to unlock a completely new way of generating renewable power using existing oil and gas infrastructure. It could be a game-changer in our efforts to decarbonise the oil and gas production process and has wider applicability for clean baseload power as well.”
CeraPhi Energy was founded by a team of oil and gas experts just over 18 months ago, and is driving deep geothermal projects using its proprietary closed-loop technology across the world, with a total of nearly 1.5GW of heat, cooling and power projects under development and more than 5 GW under appraisal.
