Sval Energi to seek CO2 storage license

The Trudvang storage license is located in the Norwegian North Sea, to the east of the Sleipner field and about 165 kilometers from the coast. (Photo: Neptune Energy.)

Sval Energi, Storegga and Neptune Energy have applied for a CO2 storage license in the Norwegian North Sea for a project called Trudvang, which, if approved and built, would ultimately have the potential to store up to 225 million tonnes of CO2.

The application comes after the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy invited applications for a new area in the North Sea on Jan. 11, 2023.

“Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a solution that can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. The Trudvang partners have worked jointly since December 2021 to identify, nominate, and apply for this license,” said Truls Olsen-Skåre, senior vice president for sustainability & HSEQ in Sval Energi.

The Trudvang license has a significant storage potential. It will be possible to inject about nine million tonnes of CO2 per annum for 25 to 30 years – a total storage capacity of at least 225 million tonnes of CO2. Dynamic modelling indicates that the total storage capacity could, over time, be substantially higher than this, Sval Energi said.

“We have undertaken a substantial amount of work already, including subsurface evaluation of the storage complex, and technical and economic assessment of the CCS value chain. This work has shown that Trudvang can be matured into a commercially viable project with safe and efficient carbon storage,” he said. “In Europe, approximately 300 million tonnes of hard to abate CO2 is emitted each year.”

The Trudvang storage license is located in the Norwegian North Sea, to the east of the Sleipner field and about 165 kilometers from the coast. The storage reservoir is in the Utsira formation at a depth of about 850 metres. The companies plan to start injecting CO2 in 2029.

The Trudvang project envisages the capture of CO2 by multiple industrial emitters in Northern Europe and the UK, the shipping of liquid CO2 from export terminals to an onshore receiving terminal in the south-west of Norway and then transport via a purpose-built pipeline to the Trudvang location for injection and permanent storage.

Sval is the proposed operator of Trudvang with a 40% ownership. Storegga and Neptune each has a 30% ownership. Sval Energi is a Norwegian E&P company with operations on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Storegga is an independent, UK-based decarbonisation development business, dedicated to reducing and removing the harmful impacts of CO2 in the atmosphere. Storegga develops early-stage CCS and hydrogen projects in the UK and internationally to contribute to achieving net zero targets. Neptune Energy is an independent global E&P company with operations across Europe, North Africa, and Asia Pacific.

“Trudvang is a very interesting concept with the potential to store up to 225 million tonnes of CO2 over the next 25-30 years. Together with our partners, Sval and Storegga, we have progressed the storage application in record time.

“The North Sea has great potential as a hub for carbon storage given the availability and proximity of existing infrastructure, depleted reservoirs and saline aquifers. In addition to our CCS projects in Norway, Neptune is working on potential projects in the Netherlands and UK, as we aim to build a portfolio for carbon storage linked to our core areas in the North Sea,” said Pål Haremo, Neptune Energy’s global head of subsurface, new energy.

“Trudvang could be a key contributor to Neptune’s 2030 goal of storing more carbon than is emitted from our operations and from use of the oil and gas products we sell,” he said.

The Trudvang project comprises capture of CO2 by multiple industrial emitters in Northern Europe and the UK, shipping of liquid CO2 from export terminals to an onshore receiving terminal in the south-west of Norway and transport via a purpose-built pipeline to the Trudvang location for injection and permanent storage.