Equinor Taps Emerson for Well Monitoring at Rosebank

Equinor ASA has selected Emerson Electric Co to provide advanced well completion monitoring systems for its Rosebank oil and gas field development offshore the United Kingdom (UK) in the North Sea.

Emerson’s suite of Roxar downhole monitoring tools will empower Equinor to use advanced oil recovery techniques, optimize reservoir performance, and verify well integrity in real time, Emerson said in a news release. The financial details of the contract were not disclosed.

The Rosebank field is located around 80.8 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Shetland at approximately 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) of water depth. The field’s total recoverable resources are estimated at around 300 million barrels of oil, with Phase 1 targeting an estimated 245 million barrels of oil.

According to Emerson, collecting pressure and temperature data from active wells, which is a critical requirement to operate safely, optimize production, and maintain well integrity, is challenging in the area due to the harsh environment, limited onsite staff, and safety risks associated with active wells.

To address this, Emerson said it is providing Equinor with its unique Roxar Integrated Downhole Network technology, in close cooperation with its local partners in the UK and Norway. The system will provide the operational insight needed to assist Equinor in maintaining high production levels, managing risk, and meeting regulatory requirements, Emerson outlined.

Rosebank field owners Equinor, which holds an 80 percent stake and is the operator, and Ithaca Energy, which holds a 20 percent stake, made a final investment decision on Rosebank in September 2023, with an investment of $3.8 billion.

The field is planned to be developed with subsea wells tied back to a redeployed floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO), with start-up planned for 2026-2027. Its oil will be transported to refineries by shuttle tankers, while gas will be exported through the West of Shetland Pipeline system to mainland Scotland. According to the Equinor website, the Rosebank development has been optimized to reduce carbon emissions and the FPSO will be prepared for future electrification.

In January, solutions provider Optime Subsea secured a contract with Equinor to deliver its Remote Operated Controls System (ROCS) at the Rosebank field. The ROCS transforms the installation of production tubing in subsea wells by eliminating the need for umbilicals, resulting in significantly safer and faster operations while reducing the need for personnel in the red zone on the rig, Optime outlined.

The implementation of the ROCS on the Rosebank field is scheduled for June 2025 and is the first ROCS contract between the two companies.

The Rosebank asset has been a key target for climate activists. In December 2023, Greenpeace UK and Uplift filed separate legal challenges in Scotland seeking to rescind government approval for the Rosebank oil development in the North Sea. The two organizations asked the Court of Session in Edinburgh for a judicial review, claiming that the consent is incompatible with the UK’s own net zero plans.

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