Remote Site Power That Cuts the Cost of Getting There
On a remote wellhead or pipeline asset, the generator is cheap and reaching it is not. One service visit per year instead of monthly attendance takes the dominant cost line out of the equation, with up to 90% service cost saving and 30 to 50 percent fuel cost saving against a like-for-like diesel genset.
On a remote site, servicing is the cost, not the genset
Access dominates the economics of wellhead, gathering station and pipeline power. A diesel unit expects attention once a month or 300 run hours, and each of those visits carries vehicle, crew, permit and often helicopter or boat cost before anyone touches a filter. Every avoided visit is a full mobilisation avoided.
Uptime works the same way. A reciprocating engine has hundreds of wearing parts and fails in the field; a single-shaft turbine on air bearings has one moving part, so there is far less to strand production while a crew is mobilised.
- Mobilisations
- One service visit per year against once a month or 300 run hours for diesel, which is where up to 90% service cost saving comes from on hard-to-reach sites.
- Fuel
- 30 to 50 percent fuel cost saving against a like-for-like diesel genset, running whichever of diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel your site logistics already deliver at the lowest price. Basis: brochure case studies. Switching a site from diesel to a kerosene and heating oil mix cut fuel cost by 35 percent, and a site with reduced fuel theft cut operating cost by 50 percent.
- Unplanned downtime
- 1 moving part and air bearings - no oil required, so there are no oil changes and far fewer in-field failure modes than a reciprocating engine. Remote monitoring means you dispatch a crew because something needs doing, not to check.
- Asset life
- 45,000 hours design life against 15,000 to 25,000 hours for diesel, halving how often the replacement lands in the capital plan.
Why incumbents struggle on remote O&G sites
Remote wellheads, monitoring stations, and pipeline assets are expensive to service. The standard diesel or natural-gas genset needs frequent attention, and reciprocating engines have many moving parts that fail in the field. NOx limits on new wellsites are tightening across most operating regions.
The Bladon microturbine sits in a specific niche: small-load, liquid-fuelled, hard-to-reach sites where service cost dominates the TCO calculation.
The microturbine vs diesel comparison sets out the service, fuel and lifetime lines side by side, and what a microturbine is explains why a single rotating assembly tolerates heat and dust.
Where the Bladon microturbine fits
- Liquid-fuel multi-fuel: diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel - useful where wellsite logistics already deliver liquid fuels.
- Low NOx vs. reciprocating diesel - easier path to permit on tightening-emissions sites.
- Single moving part - far fewer in-field failure modes than a recip engine.
- One service visit per year cuts the cost of unattended-site maintenance.
- Remote monitoring and SCADA integration for unmanned operation.
- Compact footprint, suitable for skid mounting alongside other wellhead equipment.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Bladon microturbine run on associated or flare gas?
Not yet. Flare gas and natural gas are in active development with funded work under way. The units run liquid fuels today (diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel), and the modular combustor design lets us change the fuel a turbine burns without redesigning the engine around it. That is what makes the gaseous roadmap credible. For sites that need gas-to-power today, the microturbine works well as part of a hybrid arrangement covering low-load and start-up duty - and we would like to hear about your gas application, because customer requirements set the roadmap order.
What are the NOx emissions vs. a reciprocating diesel genset?
The microturbine runs at significantly lower NOx than equivalent reciprocating diesel - a meaningful permit and compliance advantage on tightening-emissions sites. Detailed emissions data is available on the MTG12 datasheet.
How does it integrate with SCADA?
The microturbine exposes monitoring and control interfaces suitable for integration with standard wellsite SCADA. Talk to sales for protocol details and reference architectures.
What is the MTBF compared to a recip engine?
With a single moving part and a 45,000 hours design life, the microturbine sees substantially fewer in-field failures than a comparable reciprocating engine. Specific MTBF data is shared under NDA on request.
Is the microturbine suitable for offshore or hazardous-area use?
The standard microturbine is not certified for hazardous-area use. Contact sales early if your site requires ATEX or equivalent certification - bespoke arrangements may be possible depending on programme size and timeline.
What's the typical wellsite use case?
Continuous low-to-mid kW load: wellhead instrumentation, pipeline monitoring stations, cathodic protection, and remote control & comms gear. The microturbine sits well at the 5 to 12 kW band where diesel is over-specified and solar+battery is under-firm.
Specs at a glance
- MTG12
- 12 kVA / 12 kW prime, Single phase
- MTP40 (pads, three phase)
- 40 kVA / 32 kW prime, 44 kVA standby, Three phase - now available for pre-order
- Fuels
- Diesel, kerosene, paraffin, HVO, FAME biofuel
- Emissions
- Exceeds EU Stage V emissions limits, low NOx
- Service interval
- One service visit per year
- Design life
- 45,000 hours
- Mounting
- Skid or container, 920 kg
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- MTG12 12 kVA microturbine gensetFull specification, fuels and service interval.
- MTP40 40 kVA three phase gensetAvailable for pre-order - reserve your delivery slot.
- Microturbine vs diesel genset comparisonSeven-year total cost of ownership, side by side.
- Total cost of ownership calculatorModel fuel, service and downtime costs for your own sites.
- Multi-fuel capabilityWhat the turbine runs on today, and what is in development.
- Track record and field evidenceIndependent validation, deployment results and manufacturing capability.
- Case studiesDocumented deployments and measured outcomes.