Wintershall’s Gas Ops Is Under Control

Just installed by Wintershall is one of the most modern platform control rooms anywhere in the world. This new room will allow the company to monitor and control their gas production platforms in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. The production operations of 18 offshore platforms in the southern section of the North Sea operated by Wintershall is monitored by the radio surveillance system in the company’s Den Helder office. Den Helder is a municipality and city in the province of North Holland and occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula and is also home to the country’s largest naval base. This new center for Remote Controlled Operations (RCO) required an investment of 11.5 million euros, 4.3 million euros of which Wintershall, as the operating company, is covering.



Six platforms, as well as the satellite platforms, will be monitored centrally from the RCO center using microwave radio relay technology. It will no longer be necessary to staff the control rooms on the platforms at night. Out of the 39 staff members working in the new RCO center, 12 work in the Central Control Room (CCR), which is the nerve center of the facility. Two employees on a shift system permanently staff the control. Wintershall is one of the largest natural gas producers in the Netherlands with an annual production of about 2 billion cubic meters and operates 26 offshore platforms.