Equinor opens Kårstø Marine Robotics Centre (KNARR)
- KNARR opened on 28 October at Equinor’s Kårstø processing plant in Tysvær.
- The centre includes three test areas at depths of 25, 140 and 250 metres and three kilometres of subsea cable and associated electronics.
- Equinor and Gassco have allocated NOK 16 million to establish the centre, with possibility to expand functionality later.
- Equinor expects potential annual cost savings of several hundred million NOK from using underwater robots and autonomous vessels and targets significant operational cost reductions by 2035.
Overview
On 28 October Equinor opened the Kårstø Marine Robotics Centre (KNARR) at the Kårstø processing plant in Tysvær. The facility is dedicated to testing, qualification and development of marine robotic technologies and is one of the first test centres of its kind connected to an operational facility, enabling development in a live environment. KNARR will be available across maritime industries for inspection, autonomous operations, environmental monitoring, securing and maintenance of offshore installations.
New technology for safe and competitive production
The centre provides three test areas at water depths of 25, 140 and 250 metres and has three kilometres of subsea cable and associated electronics to test sensor technology over time. Combined with existing power cables, export pipelines and subsea structures, the site enables trials of solutions such as distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). Equinor and Gassco have set aside NOK 16 million to establish the centre, with the option to expand its capabilities in future. Equinor sees potential annual cost savings of several hundred million NOK from using underwater robots and autonomous vessels and aims to reduce operational costs significantly by 2035.
Building on Norwegian ocean expertise
KNARR builds on Norway’s established marine robotics research environment and aims to reduce personnel exposure to risk, strengthen operational performance and improve data-driven decision-making. Equinor presents the centre as a platform for cross-industry cooperation across aquaculture, oil and gas, wind power, shipping and defence to support safe, efficient and competitive energy operations.
Source: Equinor