Aker BP extends private 5G/edge compute service to more North Sea projects
Tampnet has deployed what it claims is the world’s first fully autonomous private 5G and edge compute solution on an offshore production platform.
The Private Mobile Edge Compute (PMEC)/5G infrastructure is installed on Aker BP’s Edvard Grieg platform in the Norwegian North Sea, and the company has ordered further installations for its Yggdrasil, Fenris, Valhall, Alvheim, Ivar Aasen and Skarv field developments.
“Full wireless coverage opens up new possibilities of digital, intelligent and autonomous operations,” said Thomas Øvretveit, senior vice president of Operations with Aker BP.
According to Tampnet, the combination of steel-heavy environments, harsh weather and latency-sensitive operations can complicate offshore communications.
The company says its private 5G/PMEC solution can deliver:
- Full platform wireless coverage, including indoor/outdoor areas;
- Local autonomy as edge compute is said to enable critical data to be processed offshore, reducing dependency on onshore communication for key operations;
- Real-time support for sensor data and predictive maintenance support for remote access to AI tools and expert systems;
- Reduced offshore manning and improved safety support for autonomous drones, robotics, digital twins and augmented reality support for mission-critical communications; and
- Edge computing data processed locally, without the need to route everything to shore, which leads to faster response times, smarter operations and higher resilience, the company claims.
"Tampnet’s 5G edge infrastructure is … an enabler for oil and gas companies to scale advanced use cases such as remote operations, AI-based optimization and dynamic reservoir monitoring,” said Per Atle Sørensen, Tampnet's managing director North Sea.
Other Tampnet projects offshore
