North Sea carbon capture and storage developments

New commercial carbon capture and storage projects are emerging in the North Sea region to facilitate industrial decarbonization.

In Denmark, the Greensand facility has commenced operations as the first full-scale commercial CO2 storage site in the European Union. Led by INEOS Energy, Harbour Energy, and the Danish North Sea Fund, the project utilizes the Nini West reservoir to store CO2 approximately 1,800 metres beneath the seabed. The initial phase expects to store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, with future plans to scale capacity to between 4 and 8 million tonnes.

Concurrently, EcoLog has partnered with Harbour Energy and Stella Maris CCS to develop a transport and storage chain connecting the EcoLog Terminal Amsterdam to the Havstjerne offshore project on the Norwegian continental shelf. Scheduled for completion by 2030, the Amsterdam terminal is designed to handle both liquid hydrogen imports and liquefied CO2 exports. The project aims for an initial annual capacity of 1.8 million tons of CO2.

Expanding efforts on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the Atlas carbon storage project has been awarded 223 million euros from the European Union Innovation Fund. A joint venture between Aker BP and Orlen Upstream Norway, with logistics managed by Höegh Evi, the project aims to transport and inject up to 6 million tonnes of CO2 annually starting in 2031. The concept involves using specialized shuttle carriers to transport liquefied CO2 from ships directly to offshore injection wells, approximately 2,000 metres below the seabed. DNV has issued a Statement of Feasibility for this ship-based injection concept, noting that technical uncertainties are manageable at the current stage.