MAN compressors for major CO2 project

MAN Energy Solutions will supply three integrally-geared compressor trains (IGC) to the first large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Netherlands.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority, Energie Beheer Nederland B.V. (EBN) and N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie are jointly conducting the Porthos (Port of Rotterdam CO₂ Transport Hub and Offshore Storage) project, recognized by the European Union as a Project of Common Interest (PCI).

MAN Energy Solutions’ scope of work covers the delivery of three RG 28-6 type compressor trains with an order for two additional units intended at a later stage. (Image: MAN Energy Solutions)

Porthos aims to store 2.5 million tons of CO2 annually in exhausted natural gas reservoirs under the North Sea. The CO2 will be sourced from various companies in the Rotterdam port area – a region accounting for over 16% of Dutch CO2 emissions. The carbon will be compressed by MAN Energy Solutions’ technology, and then transported and injected into a sealed reservoir of porous sandstone over 3 km beneath the North Sea. Over a 15-year timeline, a total of 37 million tons of CO2 will be permanently stored in this way, the companies said.

“Not only will Porthos play a vital role in propelling the Netherlands toward achieving net-zero emissions, the project is also innovative in its approach that aims at establishing a CO2 transport and storage infrastructure serving multiple companies,” said Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions. “Such game-changing initiatives are crucial in advancing CCS efforts and effectively reducing emissions that are hard to abate.”

Porthos has signed agreements with Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil and Shell and will capture their respective CO2 emissions, feeding them into a common pipeline that will run some 30 kilometers through Rotterdam’s port area.