Biota Guard - getting in position for a full scale leak detection pilot project

Biota Guard has gone through a structured 4-stage technology qualification process with Shell. The company came through successfully in the final stage ("Deploy") in September 2013 and secured a contract in early 2014 ("Draugen Field Adaptation Study") f or assessing leak detection solutions on Draugen and Nyhamna. A substantially larger project involving deployment of multiple Biota Guard subsea Sensor Arrays (sSAs) in a pilot / full scale demonstration is targeted as the next logical step. A Demo2000 p re-project is sought to support, anchor and speed up this effort. Biota Guard is in parallel to the process above looking to demonstrate its technology with multiple other oil operator companies on the NCS - and could ultimately carry out a pilot based o n own funds. A full scale pilot would mark a major breakthrough for Biota Guard in terms of securing the first commercial user, increasing market acceptance and act as a catalyst for a wider roll-out of the company?s novel approach to environmental monit oring. As for the state-of-the-art, Biota Guard is confident that the company is going in front. The technology represents a move from "warning systems" to an integrated leak detection and environmental monitoring solution, and combines advanced analyti cs and data management with the use of biosensors (live mussels) and chemical and physical sensors. The result is a game changing leak detector with sensitivity far beyond any field proven technology, with additional benefits related to documenting long t erm environmental effects in real-time. The multi-sensor approach is also more robust towards false alarms. In terms of fit with the Demo2000 program plan, the project has a natural link to theme I (Energy efficient and environmentally sustainable tec hnologies) while coupling of environmental analysis with day-to-day operations also supports other themes. Biota Guard has a special focus on Arctic applications as highlighted by the completed NFR project # 192928.