There is a huge potential for reducing CO2 emissions through extensive storage under the North Sea seabed. This is the conclusion of a report handed over to the Energy Ministers in the UK and Norway.
As a significant commitment from the highest political levels and major oil and gas players in the UK and Norway, a task force was established in 2005 to determine broad, common principles for how and where CO2 could be stored in the North Sea sub-seabed. It has now delivered its first conclusions to the two countries’ Energy Ministers. Despite significant institutional uncertainties and associated risks, this report reveals a huge potential in reducing CO2 emissions.
By the end of 2005, an “Agreed statement by the United Kingdom and Norwegian Governments” had been signed in London by these countries’ Energy Ministers. In this statement, they agreed to establish a North Sea Basin Task Force to develop common principles for managing and regulating the transport, injection and permanent storage of CO2 in deep geological formations beneath the bottom of the North Sea.
Since then, the Task Force, composed of public and private bodies including DNV, has worked to complete its first deliverables. Lord Truscott, Minister of State for Energy in the UK, and Mr Enoksen, Former Minister of Petroleum and Energy in Norway, received the Phase 1 report ‘Storing CO2 under the North Sea Basin’ in June.
“This report is a result of the close cooperation that exists between our two countries. The transport and storage of CO2 is a major aspect of this work and the report proposes useful guidelines for the capture and transport of CO2 with relevance to both countries. This is an important input to our work on how to handle climate challenges,” Mr Enoksen said.
“It is very timely in providing sound and consistent guidelines for both our countries on the transport and storage of CO2 beneath the North Sea. It means that both of us can effectively avoid future CO2 emissions, and make a real contribution to solving the worldwide problem of climate change,” signs Lord Truscott in the report.
Gap analysis from DNV
“DNV’s role in the Task Force included to carry out the gap analysis to identify barriers to the deployment of carbon capture and storage,” explains Ståle Selmer-Olsen, DNV’s representative in the Task Force. “We assigned a ‘traffic light’ to help prioritise further actions to close these gaps,” he explains.
The Task Force report concludes that the benefits to the UK and Norway from the successful deployment of carbon capture and storage in the North Sea Basin are enormous, but that it is clear that carbon capture and storage suffer from uncertainties and associated risks to be managed. The recommendation is to amend existing North Sea legal and regulatory frameworks to enable carbon capture and storage. Furthermore, DNV’s idea of a management approach to carbon capture and storage projects using a risk-based qualification process for storage sites is recommended. Full accreditation of carbon capture and storage under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and Clean Development Mechanism/Joint implementation of the Kyoto protocol will be vital as commercial incentive. The benefits of independent verification of carbon capture and storage projects were recognised.
Second phase in progress
Both Ministers have asked the Task Force to begin the second phase of its work with the aim of completing it in time to report to a further ministerial meeting in 12 months’ time. Phase II will build on the findings of Phase I and address the critical issues identified, share knowledge and follow up on the infrastructure study.
Consideration will be given to widening the Task forces’ membership to include other North Sea region states.