Hitachi Energy to support the green transition of China’s offshore oil and gas industry with OceaniQ™ transformers

Hitachi Energy recently has teamed up with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the country’s largest oil and gas producer, to provide the main offshore transformers for the Bozhong and Kenli oil fields power-from-shore project. The Bohai Bay, east China’s Shandong Province is part of the broader green transition taking place in China’s offshore oil and gas sector .

The bay oil fields have been using natural gas or crude oil to self-generate electricity with multiple drawbacks, such as low efficient, pollutant and unreliable power supply.

Power from shore solutions provide owner from the mainland grid, reducing significantly the oil and gas consumption, and decreasing the emissions of CO₂ and other pollutants, while achieving greater energy efficiency and lower power supply costs.

The power-from-shore project is in the middle of China's Bohai Sea, around 29 kilometers off the coast, and aims to connect CNOOC’s offshore operations in Bozhong and Kenli oil fields to the mainland power grid.

As one of the major pieces of electrical equipment in the project, the main offshore transformers can convert the power from the mainland grid from 220 kV or 110kV voltage levels to the lower voltage levels required by offshore oil fields. The reliability and efficiency of the transformers is crucial to maintaining the stable operation of the entire power-from-shore project.

Hitachi Energy will provide OceaniQ power transformers for all four offshore substations, three with 220 kV and one with 110 kV voltage levels The OceaniQ transformers are specially prepared to overcome the harsh offshore conditions, they are compact, corrosion-resistant, while withstanding strong vibrations, making them ideally adapted to the working environment out at the sea and enable a steady power supply for offshore operations. 

This is the second time that Hitachi Energy has participated in CNOOC’s large power-from-shore project, following the Qinhuangdao and Caofeidian oil fields onshore power project in Bohai Bay, the first of its kind in China. 

“We are proud once again to support the low-carbon transformation of China's offshore oilfields with safe and efficient OceaniQ™ transformer solutions,” said Jianhua Zhang, Head of the Greater China Hub, at Hitachi Energy’s Transformers business. “The innovative transformer solution can meet the harsh offshore working environment, and brings low electricity cost and high efficiency, helping the green transition of power supply in China’s offshore oil fields, and contributing to China’s energy transition.”

Hitachi Energy’s recently announced OceaniQ™ innovative offshore portfolio of products, solutions, and services help reduce costs, increase safety and improve efficiency for the offshore segment. Combining cross-industry competence from the power and marine sectors, the portfolio addresses applications for fixed platforms, floating structures and sub-sea power systems for wind, marine and other offshore operators.