The rationale for the study is that emergency power systems are increasingly challenging Havtil's requirement for simplicity, which can lead to uncertainty about their reliability and robustness.

Report: Kunnskapsutvikling vedrørende utforming og kompleksitet for nødkraft (In Norwegian only)

The study aims to shed light on these issues and provide input on potential solutions that ensure personnel safety while maintaining the reliability and robustness of the emergency power system.

The work consisted of a review of current regulations, interviews with companies operating on the Norwegian shelf, and assessments of the findings from the document review and interviews. The assessments are categorised by grouping risks, specifying possible consequences, and listing recommendations.

Balanced regulations

Feedback from the operators indicates that the regulations and standards have a good balance between functional and prescriptive requirements.

The requirements provide clear guidelines for the design of emergency power systems while allowing for innovative solutions and designs.

However, there is room for clearer guidance, especially when it comes to personnel safety.

Testing and verification

The study has also identified challenges related to the testing and verification of emergency power systems. Without extensive routine testing, verification of reliability will be challenging.

The operators have not reported failures in the emergency power systems, but they are experiencing challenges verifying through testing the totality of the system.

Recommendations

The study has identified a number of recommendations, including clarifying the regulatory hierarchy, the meaning of the term “emergency power consumer”, and the importance of good testing procedures.

For new facilities, it is recommended to carry out supervision early in the design phase to ensure that the regulations are followed and that processes for evaluating robustness and safety are in place.

For existing facilities, it is proposed to carry out assessments of the robustness of existing systems and any measures to increase this.