TotalEnergies has joined the Renewables for Subsea Power (RSP) collaborative project currently powering subsea equipment off the east coast of Orkney, Scotland, with wave power from Mocean Energy and subsea energy storage from Verlume.
The £2m demonstrator initiative has connected the Blue X wave energy converter – built by Edinburgh company Mocean Energy – with a Halo underwater battery storage system developed by Aberdeen intelligent energy management specialists Verlume.
The fully operational scheme, which is in situ off the coast of Orkney, aims to show how green technologies can be combined to provide reliable low-carbon power and communications to subsea equipment, offering a cost-effective alternative to umbilical cables, which are carbon intensive with long lead times to procure and install.
TotalEnergies, supported by its Ocean Energy R&D team based out of Pau, France, will now join project leads Mocean Energy and Verlume, alongside industry players Baker Hughes, Serica Energy, Harbour Energy, Transmark Subsea, PTTEP and the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC).
Joining RSP offers TotalEnergies access to all data and results from the extended test programme, taking place 5km east of the Orkney Mainland. It will also be able to offer input to test plans and will be provided with a feasibility assessment of the use of RSP technology.
“Our participation in RSP demonstrates how important it is to us to pursue new ideas and technology that will support the decarbonisation of our oil and gas production business, both here in the UK and across the world,” said TotalEnergies technology, data & innovation manager Dave MacKinnon.
“We’re pleased to be participating and look forward to seeing the results of this collaboration.”
Mocean commercial director at Ian Crossland said: “TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company and this new investment underscores the international interest in the potential of our combined technologies.
“TotalEnergies has a long history in Scotland and an incredible track record in offshore operations, and their experience will be extremely valuable as we begin to commercialise our Blue Star product line.”
Verlume chief commercial officer Andy Martin said: “RSP is capturing industry-leading project data as we demonstrate how Verlume’s Halo subsea battery storage can reliably power subsea equipment through being recharged by a wave energy device.
“It is fantastic that TotalEnergies recognises the value of this data and has come on board within RSP to share insights such as further use cases for this technology system.”
NZTC technology manager Mhairi Begg added: “We are delighted to have TotalEnergies join the RSP project and it demonstrates the domestic and international potential of the technology, whilst marking a significant moment in the project’s success.
“The consortium is a prime example of how global collaboration can advance green technologies and foster technology deployment.”