A group of private firms and universities from the Netherlands and the UK have been given funding to undertake a feasibility study into permanent CO2 capture and storage (CCS) in empty gas and oil fields in the North Sea.
Under the Acorn CCS project, CO2 could be captured from existing emissions at the St Fergus gas terminal, in northeast Scotland, which would otherwise enter the atmosphere. The CO2 would then be transported offshore and injected deep underground for permanent sequestration in a saline formation.
According to Pale Blue Dot, a consultancy, also involved in the project, the Acorn CCS project will re-use existing oil and gas infrastructure, which is now redundant, prior to it being decommissioned. Re-using existing infrastructure, reduces project costs and makes best use of old facilities. On its current timetable the project could be operational before 2022. The project is planning to capture about 200,000 T/y of CO2.
Additional CO2 sources could also be added, including from Peterhead Power Station, ship import via Peterhead Harbour, and or transport via existing pipeline from industrial and power sources in central Scotland.
The feasibility study will look at the carbon dioxide footprint of the greenhouse gas storage, as well as commercial and regulatory aspects of carbon storage, including the commercial aspects of transferring oil and gas infrastructure, the implementation of CO2 storage permits and the development of funding and risk allocation aspects of carbon storage projects.
Within Europe, northeast Scotland provides the easiest accessible options for CO2 storage, according to the project partners, which include several private companies and universities in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Liverpool and Nijmegen. The funding is from the EU Accelerating CCS Technologies program.
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