Denmark has begun storage of CO2 within the subsoil of the North Sea, in accordance with INEOS, the lead companion in Challenge Greensand, described because the world’s first cross-border carbon seize and storage scheme (CCS).
In line with a ten September announcement, the 23 companions behind the venture have now submitted the ultimate report from the pilot venture, which has aimed to develop, take a look at and reveal protected and environment friendly storage of CO2 within the North Sea subsurface.
The group stated the thorough technical verification confirms that the saved CO2 stays safely and completely within the closed Nini West reservoir 1,800 metres under the North Sea seabed, as anticipated. This a part of the work was carried out by unbiased supplier of threat, verification and standardization companies, DNV.
“We now have documentation that we have a well-functioning storage for CO2 in the North Sea subsoil, where large amounts of CO2 that would otherwise have been emitted into the atmosphere can be safely and permanently stored. We can see that the stored CO2 behaves as expected in the reservoir 1,800 metres below the seabed. That confidence gives us a solid foundation to take the next steps that will be crucial for CCS in Denmark”, stated Mads Gade, Nation Supervisor at INEOS Denmark and Business Director at INEOS Power, the main companion behind Challenge Greensand.
“Outstanding work” from all 23 companions
Challenge Greensand demonstrated that captured CO2 will be transported throughout borders and saved offshore to mitigate local weather change. This was marked by the events behind the consortium on the occasion First Carbon Storage on 8 March 2023 in Esbjerg, the place Denmark’s King Frederik gave the sign to start the CO2-storage operation,
It was additionally marked with a video speech by President of the European Fee Ursula von der Leyen and speech by Minister for Local weather, Power and Utilities, Lars Aagaard.
“We are very proud that we are the first in the world to succeed in developing, testing and demonstrating a well-functioning value chain for safe and efficient capture, transport and storage of CO2 across national borders with the aim of mitigating climate change. This is an important step on the way to meeting Denmark’s and the EU’s climate ambitions, and each of the 23 partners has done an outstanding job. I am impressed by how the task has been solved across many professional groups, which has made this phase of Project Greensand come together”, says Mads Gade.
The intensive work within the EUDP-supported venture has additionally meant that a big group of Danish and worldwide corporations have gained priceless expertise within the work with seize, transport and storage of CO2, and now have higher situations to play a task in a future CCS market in Europe.
Standing on the shoulders of an earlier venture in Greensand
With a accomplished and verified pilot part, the way in which has been paved for the event of CCS in Denmark. The lead companion in Challenge Greensand, INEOS, has already utilized for approval on behalf of licence companions Wintershall Dea (now Harbour Power) and Nordsøfonden for Denmark’s first large-scale CO2 storage facility, and is now working arduous to start out CO2 storage within the North Sea by the tip of 2025 or the start of 2026. The ambition is that as much as 400,000 tonnes of CO2 can be saved per yr, whereas the plan is to retailer as much as 8 million tonnes of CO2 per yr within the space underneath the North Sea’s seabed from 2030.
On the identical time, work can be underway to research whether or not it’s attainable and protected to retailer CO2 underground on land in Denmark, and earlier this yr, the Minister for Local weather, Power and Utilities awarded INEOS, Wintershall Dea (Harbour Power) and Nordsøfonden an exploration licence for an space of the Danish subsurface in Jutland within the Gassum reservoir. The expertise from Greensand can be included within the work to reveal protected storage additionally on land.
“We emphasised that Denmark has moved to the forefront of CCS in the world when we stored the first CO2 in the North Sea. Now we are in the process of investigating how to take the next step, and here we stand on the shoulders of the invaluable experience from Project Greensand’s pilot. We are keen to continue this momentum with an ambition that Greensand will be the first CO2 storage facility in operation in the EU, and we are now awaiting the Danish authorities’ approval of a permanent storage. This is an important step, because if Denmark takes just 5% of a future CCS market in Europe, it could mean up to 9,000 jobs, with an economic potential of DKK 50 billion. At the same time, we can support the EU’s objectives, because we have all the prerequisites to create a new industry that is part of the solution to the challenges of the climate”.
