Offshore Compression System Supports Remote Gas Production

BP has awarded Emerson a multi-million-dollar contract to supply automation technologies for the Shah Deniz Compression project in the Caspian Sea. The cooperation covers an integrated control and safety architecture for an electrically powered, normally unattended offshore compression platform designed to process low-pressure gas from the Shah Deniz field.

Remote compression for offshore gas production
The $2.9 billion project is intended to increase recovery from the Shah Deniz field by enabling compression of gas from the existing Shah Deniz Alpha and Bravo platforms. The new facility will include four 11 MW electrically powered compressors and operate as a central compression hub.

Operations will be controlled remotely from BP’s Sangachal terminal, approximately 55 km south of Baku. This operating model requires integrated monitoring, process control and safety functions to support equipment operation without continuous personnel presence offshore.

Integrated control and safety architecture
Emerson will supply its DeltaV distributed control system and DeltaV safety instrumented system. The integrated architecture will support process control, safety shutdown, fire and gas detection, and power management.

Combining these functions within the automation architecture provides operators with centralized visibility of critical process and safety conditions. Safety instrumented functions can respond to defined hazardous conditions independently of normal process control, while the control system manages routine production and compression operations.

Emerson will also apply cloud engineering services and digital twin technology for virtual testing, system integration and operator training. These tools can allow automation configurations and operating scenarios to be assessed before deployment, reducing the need for changes during commissioning.

Long-term automation cooperation
The contract extends Emerson’s involvement with BP on Shah Deniz developments. Emerson previously acted as main automation contractor for the Azeri Central East and Shah Deniz Stage 2 projects.

For the compression project, the cooperation combines BP’s operational and field expertise with Emerson’s automation, control and safety engineering capabilities. Integration across these functions is particularly relevant for a normally unattended facility, where remote operation depends on reliable instrumentation, control logic, safety systems and communications.

Production and project timeline
The Shah Deniz Compression project is expected to enable approximately 50 billion cubic metres of additional gas and around 25 million barrels of condensate production and export.

Construction is scheduled for completion in 2029. First gas compression is expected from the Shah Deniz Alpha platform in 2029, followed by compression from Shah Deniz Bravo in 2030.

Edited by Sucithra Mani, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.emerson.com