🌊 Supporting Remote Gas Production: Offshore Compression System!

[Semih Asil]

BP has signed a multi-million dollar contract with Emerson for the Shah Deniz Compression project in the Caspian Sea. This collaboration encompasses an integrated control and safety architecture for an electrically powered, normally unmanned offshore compression platform designed to process low-pressure gas from the Shah Deniz field.

💡 Compression for Remote Gas Production​

The $2.9 billion project aims to increase recovery from the Shah Deniz field by enabling gas compression from the existing Shah Deniz Alpha and Bravo platforms. The new facility will include four 11 MW electric compressors and function as a central compression hub.

Operations will be remotely controlled 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 provide 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 into critical process and safety conditions. While safety instrumented functions can respond to defined hazardous conditions independently of normal process control, the control system manages routine production and compression operations.

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

🤝 Long-Term Automation Collaboration​

This contract expands Emerson’s involvement with BP in the Shah Deniz developments. Emerson previously served as the main automation contractor for the Azeri Central East and Shah Deniz Stage 2 projects.

For the compression project, this collaboration combines BP’s operational and field expertise with Emerson’s automation, control, and safety engineering capabilities. The integration between these functions is particularly important for a normally unmanned facility, where remote operation relies on reliable instrumentation, control logic, safety systems, and communications.

🗓️ Production and Project Timeline​

The Shah Deniz Compression project is expected to enable the production and export of approximately 50 billion cubic meters of additional gas and about 25 million barrels of condensate.

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