Bacton
Bacton is a complex of six gas terminals operated by Shell, Eni, Perenco and National Grid, plus the Interconnector and BBL terminals linking to continental Europe.
Norwich is a cathedral city and service centre for East Anglia, not a heavy-industry site. Nearby hazardous-area work centres on the Bacton gas terminal complex on the north Norfolk coast, which receives North Sea gas, and the offshore energy port at Great Yarmouth. An IECEx mobile phone distributor in Norwich and the Norfolk coast would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Norwich and the Norfolk coast has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Number checkable on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Standards edition | The IEC 60079 edition the certificate cites | Stated on the certificate when issued |
| Schedule of conditions | Limits of use, batteries and accessories | Published with the certificate |
| Where it applies | Norwich and the Norfolk coast: Interconnector terminals, Offshore support port facilities, Gas terminal process areas | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Norwich. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
Bacton is a complex of six gas terminals operated by Shell, Eni, Perenco and National Grid, plus the Interconnector and BBL terminals linking to continental Europe.
Three of the terminals receive gas from Southern North Sea and some Central North Sea fields, including Leman, Hewett and Cygnus.
North Sea oil from the 1960s supported an oil rig industry at Great Yarmouth that services offshore natural gas rigs, and more recently offshore wind and other renewable energy industries have followed.
The Scroby Sands Wind Farm, with thirty turbines, is visible from the Great Yarmouth seafront, a reminder that offshore wind operations and maintenance are run from the Norfolk coast.
Great Yarmouth, the main energy port for the area, lies 20 miles east of Norwich, reached by the A47 and by the Wherry Lines railway from Norwich station to its terminus there.
NHV Helicopter Services has operated from Norwich since 2008, mainly carrying passengers on daily offshore oil and gas flights with AW139 aircraft from its terminal at the Klyne Business Aviation Centre.
IECEx is the international scheme for certifying equipment used in explosive atmospheres. A certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body against a specific edition of the IEC 60079 standards and carries a schedule of conditions of safe use. It is not a legal requirement in most countries on its own, but many national schemes accept it as the technical basis.
The IECEx certificate for the IS-04Z1 is in progress and has not been issued. The marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, the intrinsic safety concept for Zone 1 gas with the hardest gas group (IIC) and a 135 °C temperature class.
In Norwich and the Norfolk coast. The Interconnector and BBL terminals at Bacton connect the UK gas system to continental Europe, so visiting engineers may expect IECEx-based paperwork. The aim is a certificate of conformity and a schedule of conditions that a terminal engineer can review against a given area. At present that paperwork is still in progress.
A distributor for Norwich and the Norfolk coast would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are gas terminal process areas, gas receipt and blending, interconnector terminals, offshore support port facilities. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Norwich and the Norfolk coast.
The Norfolk coast is relatively dry by UK standards but exposed to wind and salt air, which can corrode connectors and fixings. For offshore wind and port work, look for good ingress protection and corrosion resistance, and ask the site about its own requirements.
Norwich is mainly a service, research and distribution city, so most classified areas lie on the coast, around the energy port at Great Yarmouth, gas terminals and offshore wind and gas support bases, as well as in fuel depots and food or feed plants. Confirm the site classification with each operator.
Bacton is a complex of six gas terminals run by Shell, Eni, Perenco and National Grid, plus the Interconnector and BBL terminals. Equipment for terminal areas is normally approved by each terminal operator, so approvals may differ between neighbouring sites. Ask each operator for its own requirements.
Related guides for Norwich and for United Kingdom.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.