A deep dive into emission cuts

With his feet firmly planted on the ground in his home town of Stavanger, Trond Eriksen is part of pioneering work in the depths of the ocean. He is involved in Equinor's underwater drone efforts – driving innovation that enables major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and shows the way forward.

"Oil and gas production generates greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, we at Equinor must leave no stone unturned in the search for ways of cutting emissions," says Trond.

We meet Trond at Equinor’s Stavanger office, where he has worked for almost a quarter of a century. Today, he works as a principal engineer, involved in Equinor's subsea technology work, more specifically ROVs (remotely operated underwater vehicles), underwater drones and diving.

As an avid diver and someone who has explored the world below the sea surface since he was young, Trond knows better than most the possibilities and limitations that exist in the ocean depths. This is perhaps why he has a special fondness for the Hydrone R, an underwater drone developed in collaboration with Saipem – a major supplier in the global oil technology industry.

This is not just any drone. It is a so-called "resident". I.e., it lives and works on the seabed for months, without the need for daily maintenance from surface vessels.

"Imagine a sophisticated, self-propelled robot vacuum cleaner, but for the seabed," Trond explains.

"It performs inspections and light maintenance tasks, charges itself at docking stations and sends data wirelessly. The entire operation is controlled from land," he adds.

ROVs have been in use since the 70s and have long been the "workhorse" on the seabed. They have been connected to the surface by a cable, are often hydraulic, and have been indispensable for installation, maintenance and repairs.

Traditionally, subsea operations require that large diesel-powered ships travel long distances to stay on the field. With resident drones such as the Hydrone R, this need is drastically reduced, and there is no daily deployment and recovery, as the drone can remain on the seabed.

"Each day without using a support vessel offshore we reduce CO₂ emissions significantly. It helps reduce our carbon footprint, and it is technology like this that can really make a difference," Trond emphasizes.

In addition, the Hydrone R is all-electric. For previous generations of ROVs hydraulic system failures could lead to spills of hydraulic oil and other chemicals. Hydrone R being all-electric, this is no longer a problem.

He is proud to work in a company that dares to make long-term investments.

"Equinor is a world leader in using new subsea technology. We are often ahead of the field, and that is incredibly motivating," he says.

This willingness to lead the way also involves sharing knowledge.

"The technology we help develop for services we purchase is often 'open source', allowing the entire industry to benefit from it. The goal is for as many suppliers as possible to be able to deliver safer and more environmentally friendly services," Trond explains.