Woodside Petroleum Ltd| Sustainability 57
Technology, combined with our pioneering, innovative spirit, is a key supporter of our corporate strategy.
We invest in technology to reduce costs for our existing
operations, to enable future developments, and to extend
sources of revenue. The application of technology in our
business also enables our people to work more eciently and
assists in reducing their exposure to health and safety hazards.
In 2018, we refreshed our technology strategy to increase
the priority of carbon management and the development
of new energy markets and sources. We continue to focus
on conventional oil and gas technologies and data-driven
breakthroughs. Our strategy ensures we apply innovation and
technology to support growth.
We don’t do this alone. We utilise external expertise by
growing our FutureLab network, combining innovative ideas
from our own people with fresh perspectives from outside our
industry. In November 2018, we launched the Centre for Long
Subsea Tiebacks in partnership with the University of Western
Australia, driving research into new subsea engineering
technologies for oshore oil and gas production.
Conventional oil and gas technology
Woodside has long been a leader in oil and gas technologies.
Supported by our capabilities in data science, analytics and
machine learning, we continue to search for breakthroughs that
will deliver value.
In the second half of 2018, we completed a pilot initiative to
optimise the composition of mixed refrigerants across KGP
LNG trains 1 and 2. By making small changes in response to
ambient temperature, we delivered a 1.5% improvement in
energy eciency. We plan to extend the initiative to other LNG
trains in 2019, reducing costs and carbon dioxide equivalent
(CO2-e) emissions.
Intelligent assets
We are installing a data-driven digital nerve system at our
existing facilities that will provide real-time insights, enabling
better decision making, cost reductions and higher reliability.
To achieve this we are employing technologies such as smart
sensors and robots.
The Woodside robotics team continued proof of concept trials
at Pluto LNG and KGP throughout 2018, proving navigation
capabilities via local teleoperation and autonomous control.
We performed an Australian-first trial on an oshore
platform at the North Rankin Complex (NRC) in October
2018. We successfully teleoperated our ‘Aggie’ surveillance
robot on NRC from Perth. This is an early step towards
proving our extended capabilities in remote operations.
Carbon management
We aim to reduce our carbon emissions from existing and
future operations.
We worked with ABB Australia Pty Ltd to install a 1 MWh
PowerStore battery on the Goodwyn A platform, with
commissioning due to start in 2019. This world-first application
of microgrid technology on an oshore platform is expected
to improve energy eciency by approximately 5%, reducing
fuel gas consumption by more than 2,000 tonnes per year and
CO2-e emissions by 10,000 tonnes per year.
In late 2018, we established a team to build a portfolio of CO2
abatement mechanisms considering reduction, sequestration
and other uses of carbon. We also progressed plans to integrate
industrial-scale solar power generation with gas-fired generation
and battery storage for our future Burrup Hub LNG operations.
Reducing fuel gas consumption on the Burrup Peninsula will
increase the amount of gas available for LNG production,
yielding both environmental and commercial benefits.
New energy
We are supporting the transition to low carbon energy in a
way that adds value for our shareholders across our growth
horizons. We are developing and promoting new markets for
LNG fuels. In the longer term, we are exploring opportunities
to produce and export hydrogen on a commercial scale.
OUR FUTURE