Petrofac’s EPS will be responsible to provide project management systems and technical assistance at the time of Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for Acorn CCS
The Acorn Hydrogen project involves the conversion of natural gas from the North Sea into clean hydrogen. (Credit: FreeImages/Michael & Christa Richert )
UK-based oilfield services firm, Petrofac announced that its engineering and production services (EPS) business has secured engineering and project management office support contract for the Acorn project.
Under the contract, Petrofac’s EPS will be responsible to provide project management systems and technical assistance at the time of front end engineering design (FEED) for Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
The work scope also includes support for concept select for Acorn Hydrogen.
Both projects are part of the existing developments planned at the St Fergus gas terminal near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
Acorn Hydrogen project involves the conversion of natural gas from the North Sea into clean hydrogen
Petrofac global corporate development officer and EPS chief operating officer John Pearson said: “The Acorn project represents an exciting shift in the North East’s energy dynamic and an important catalyst for sustainable energy growth generally.
“Like our existing wind portfolio, CCS and hydrogen require the sophisticated engineering and project management skills that we have developed in oil and gas.”
The firm said that the Acorn CCS holds the first UK CO2 appraisal and storage license awarded by the Oil and Gas Authority.
It is looking to develop CO2 mitigation infrastructure to help meet the Scottish and UK governments’ Net Zero targets.
The Acorn Hydrogen project involves the conversion of natural gas from the North Sea into clean hydrogen, using the Acorn CCS infrastructure for safe mitigation of CO2 emissions.
Acorn Project director Ian Phillips said: “Pale Blue Dot is pleased to be in a position to appoint Petrofac – a partner with much of its history rooted in Aberdeenshire – to support the next critical phase of the Acorn project.
“Petrofac’s appointment represents another key milestone for Acorn, which is on track to establish critical low carbon energy and CCS infrastructure in the mid-2020s.”