As I write, CO2 is being injected from the Nini platform in the Danish North Sea as part of Project Greensand, the world’s first cross-border offshore CO2 storage project facilitated by INEOS and partners.
The NSTA in the UK is primed to award offshore storage licences in early 2023, after receiving interest from nineteen companies in areas off the coast of Aberdeen, Liverpool, Lincolnshire and Teeside. With this clearly defined need, combined with the will and skills to move CCS projects forward, what remains of this decade will, undoubtedly, see major growth in CO2 storage. However, given the scale of the challenge, the reality is that we still need to change up a gear and move into the fast lane – time is of the essence.
There is clearly more to CCS than storing CO2 underground and the need to address the geoscience, economic and social challenges is stronger than ever. As organisations look to transition into CCS projects, the decades of hard-earnt subsurface project skills and experience will undoubtedly stand the energy industry in good stead. We have the technology but do we have the willpower or the time?
Let us work together to break down the economic challenges and hit that CCS accelerator pedal!
