The SEPS JIP (Subsea Electrical Power Standardisation), launched late 2010, is an operator initiative that aims to develop international standards for subsea power components. These components and considered critical to enable subsea processing capability by improving the economics and thereby resulting in enhanced recovery rates.

The member companies aim to achieve their goals by working together and sharing their knowledge of subsea power technology and best practices.

If you have any queries or are interested in becoming a member of this group then please contact us.

Subsea power transformers: driving productivity and cost reduction through standardisation

The Subsea Electrical Power Standardisation Joint Industry Project (SEPS JIP) announced the publication of an international industry standard on the design, testing and qualification of subsea power transformers (SEPS SP-1002). Developed by SEPS JIP members Statoil, Shell, Total, Petrobras, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Woodside, the long-term aim of the standard is to reduce the costs of subsea field developments by bringing more uniformity to the planning and execution stages, as well as minimising the duplication of engineering efforts.

With the extremely difficult economic environment and the historic cost pressures on the subsea industry, there has been a growing need for promoting standardisation and unification in order to reduce the costs of subsea field developments. A key component of a subsea field, subsea power transformers reduce the high voltage to levels that can be used by pumps, water injectors, gas compressors, and so on. By standardising working practices for the design, testing and qualification of subsea power transformers across the globe, the new standard provides a stepping stone for improving the economics of subsea processing, which will eventually support enhanced recovery rates.

A leading expert in the subsea power community and a member of the SEPS JIP, Steinar Midttveit, comments: “The focus on standardisation has been on the rise and collaborative initiatives like SEPS are important contributors to progress towards reducing overall costs and complexity of subsea field developments.”

Established in 2010 to develop international standards for subsea power systems, SEPS JIP is managed by OTM Networks, a leading firm of technology advisory consultants. The JIP published its first standard on subsea penetrators and connectors (SEPS SP-1001) in 2014 and is currently working towards producing a standard for subsea electrical motors (SEPS SP-1003).

“The need for transparency, collaboration and standardisation between operators, contractors and suppliers is greater than ever before,” says Michael Sequeira, Deepwater Practice Leader at OTM Networks. “Unifying specifications and design requirements at the Operator level is the first step in achieving a commoditised market space and the results of this Operator-led JIP is testament to what can be achieved when the growing complexity and cost of advanced subsea systems dictates the need for cross-industry collaboration.”

The transformer standard documents

The transformer standard document is available to download here. Discussions are underway for the document to be published as a Joint IEC-IEEE standard.