By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 1: The construction of Sarawak Shell Berhad’s (SSB) first solar and wind-powered Timi platform, which is as long as a 45-storey building, has finally completed within 10 months.
SSB, with its partners Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and Brunei Energy Exploration, celebrated the mechanical completion of the Timi Field Development Project in a ceremony held at Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation (Demak Yard) here today.
The newly completed substructure and topsides will later be loaded up and transported to the Timi field, situated approximately 200 kilometres (km) off the coast of Sarawak, for installation.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who graced the event, said the offshore platform sits well with Sarawak’s green economy agenda, where the platform’s power is generated by solar and wind hybrid energy.
“People are sceptical of wind energy because they feel that wind is not enough. However, many other European countries are installing wind offshore to generate power onshore, which is a new technology altogether.
“So if you have velocity (of the wind) and there is an improvement in technology, even the slightest movement of the propeller, with the right turbine, can produce energy.
“In other words, there is potential for the countries in this region to produce this energy,” he said.
He also mentioned that Timi is the first unmanned platform in Malaysia, reflecting an improvement in managing the platform, especially in saving operation costs and manpower.
The fixed offshore structure works for the Timi Field Development Project were done by Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation, which was awarded the contract on Aug 13 last year.
The Brooke Dockyard has also accomplished one million safe manhours without Lost Time Injury (LTI) for the project.
The Timi development is designed to reach up to 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) peak production. It will evacuate its gas to the F23 production hub via an 80km pipeline while supporting the future growth in the central Luconia area, off the coast of Sarawak.
Together with sound equipment and engineering optimisation, the platform has been designed to be 60 per cent lighter than the conventional Tender Assisted Drilling Wellhead platform.
Amongst those present were Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas; Deputy Minister of Port Development Dato Majang Renggi; Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Development Aidel Lariwoo; Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Shell Malaysia chairman Ivan Tan; Petronas senior vice president for Project Delivery and Technology, Bacho Pilong; Petros chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Hamid Bugo; and Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation chairman Datu Safri Zainudin. — DayakDaily
