Assala Energy uses electrical submersible pumps (ESP) on its wells to improve its efficiency and increase its production, and ESP substations to direct energy to these pumps. At its Gamba-Ivinga field, these pumps were powered by diesel generators, which generate GHG emissions.
The Gamba Power Plant (GPP) was completed in September 2021, providing gas-powered energy and the capacity to start replacing some of these diesel generators. By year-end 2021, three ESP substations were connected to GPP. By the end of Q1 2022, 14 ESP wells were connected to these substations. The new power system has a capacity to handle up to 30 ESP wells.
Outcomes:
- Reduced need for gaslift: compression capacity is freed up either to decrease Assala's reliance on high-pressure gas from gas fields, or to reinject gas into the reservoir, meaning less gas flaring
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions resulting from ESP operations: some diesel generators were replaced with gas turbines
- Reduced diesel consumption: connecting 13 ESP wells to GPP equates to a saving of approximately 450m of diesel per month
- Reduced requirement for diesel transportation: less diesel is transported to our remote sites, resulting in an overall reduction in our carbon footprint
