Maintaining and rejuvenating mature and late-life assets:  How EthosEnergy helps assure energy security and sustainability

By Farzad Jahromi, VP Sales – East Hemisphere at EthosEnergy

To progress the energy transition at the pace and scale required to meet Net Zero targets, oil and gas (O&G) producers, operators and their supply chain need to strike the right balance between developing new energy innovations and the ongoing maintenance of existing assets.

The dual challenge of developing technologies for tomorrow while ensuring existing energy supplies and O&G production run as efficiently as possible is familiar to the North Sea and other oil basins globally, including the Middle East, South East Asia and the Gulf of Mexico.

With as much as half of the North Sea’s 600 installations first built more than 40 years ago, operators understand the need to plan and prioritise resources that will keep these mature assets reliable, available to operate, and compliant.

Maximising the life of assets by maintaining mature equipment is critical to achieving stability and reliability. Life extension services and programs allow operators the security, time, and necessary funds from continued production to develop the next phase of energy technologies, for example, in growth areas like wind and hydrogen.

At EthosEnergy, we have a strong track record in aftermarket services for rotating equipment and supporting assets throughout their lifecycle, both on and offshore. We specifically cover gas turbines, generators and centrifugal gas compressors, along with their associated control and auxiliary systems.

As equipment ages and new technologies are developed in its place, it becomes increasingly important to have the means on hand to maintain and repair existing machinery. Our solutions, such as advanced reverse engineering programs for parts manufacturing (APM™), repair and upgrade programs, gas compressor re-rating, and assured refurbished parts, mean that assets are kept safe and profitable.

Experienced in working with major operators globally for decades, we support projects spanning offshore O&G assets to onshore terminals, pipelines and processing plants, including refineries and petrochemical plants. We are at the forefront of making energy available and sustainable, pre and post transition, while continuously exploring lifecycle cost reduction.

With often limited options for sourcing specific spare parts or compatible replacements due to obsolescence, independent service providers (ISP) like EthosEnergy provide an agile and responsive service through an extensive team and network.

One example of this challenge we are tackling is through our long-term relationship with a major operator to maintain critical gas turbines at a UK-based onshore oil storage and processing terminal. The gas turbines and compressors in operation are legacy, which means spares and parts are scarce and can prove challenging to source and maintain.

However, as a leading and OEM-agnostic ISP, we streamline maintenance activity for operators by providing solutions and equipment across multiple manufacturers and resources. Access to a vast network of workshops and supporting vendors means that the availability and reliability of parts can be prioritised for mature assets. Using this circular economy approach – opting to repair, upgrade, repurpose and reuse equipment and parts rather than buy new – customers gain time and cost efficiencies across the lifecycle of an asset as well as reducing the carbon footprint associated with their vendors.

Maintaining a relationship with a trusted ISP offers significant advantages. With wider market trends continuing to impact operators’ budgets and resources, ensuring a consistent and reliable level of service and maintenance can be carried out on mature assets is essential. A professional partnership allows operators to enjoy operational security and assuredness of service should emergency maintenance be required on mature assets, with more hands and expertise available to them.

Ultimately, a considered and ongoing maintenance strategy and outage management program is vital for the longevity and productivity of mature assets, particularly while energy security remains a priority. As the industry strives to strike a balance between maintaining existing and developing new energy technologies, EthosEnergy is perfectly placed to deliver this level of expert service for operators worldwide – helping to create and sustain a secure and sustainable energy landscape.

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