Global E&P company Neptune Energy aims to support planning of its major carbon capture and storage (CCS) project with the development of new ‘digital twins’ of two drilling and production platforms where the offshore CCS project is planned.

The company will use the digitised versions of the area, created by 3D technology specialist Eserv, to reduce costs and environmental impacts by enabling engineers to work onshore. 

Following on from five digital twins of Neptune-operated platforms already developed in the UK, Norway and elsewhere in the Dutch sector, the digitised version will help progress with the CCS project in the L10 area of development, which is set to become one of the largest CCS facilities in the Dutch North Sea. 

The facility will have the potential to safely store 120-150m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), capable of meeting more than 50% of the CO2 reduction goals targeted by the Dutch industrial sector. 

By allowing engineers to conduct around 4,100 hours of work from onshore locations, the company is able to bolster its carbon mitigation goals by eliminating a significant amount of offshore travel. 

Lex de Groot, Managing Director, Neptune Energy in the Netherlands, said that the company is ‘well-positioned’ to help the Netherlands achieve its climate goals by repurposing existing assets for CO2 storage or green hydrogen production. 

He added, “Embedding modern technologies in this way ensures we can plan work, inspect plant equipment and monitor changes in the physical structure, or identify potential issues early and accurately, increasing our chance of success and enabling us to deliver against much shorter timescales.” 

Another digital twin based on the Cygnus platform in the UK has contributed to the development of drone-based flight plans that will assist with a ‘ground-breaking’ methane emissions study.