A partnership of Wintershall Dea and Altera has been awarded the Havstjerne CO2 storage license in the Norwegian North Sea.
The license, awarded by Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, is located about 84 miles southwest of Stavanger and will be operated by Wintershall Dea, with its 50 percent stake. The company noted that the estimated annual storage capacity amounts to seven million tons.
“This second license in Norway supports our ambitious goal of building a global carbon management portfolio that can potentially reduce 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2040. We are proud of the confidence that the Ministry of Petroleum and Norwegian Energy is banking on our experience and ability to contribute to Europe’s climate goals,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, member of Wintershall Dea’s Board of Directors and its Chief Technology Officer.
“We are working hard to provide the infrastructure Norway needs to become a European carbon storage hub,” he added.
The Havstjerne association sees the award as a necessary step to develop the Norwegian continental shelf into a leading CO2 storage area in Europe. Norway has the largest underground storage potential in Europe and can play a key role in efforts to meet climate goals when linked efficiently with mainland European emitters, Wintershall Dea said in the statement.
“Wintershall Dea has the industrial will to take CCS forward, building on the competence we have built up after five decades on the Norwegian continental shelf,” said Michael Zechner, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea in Norway.
Wintershall Dea and Altera intend to develop a CO2 transport system by ship to the Havstjerne license and thus offer a flexible and scalable solution, offering storage to emitters across Europe. The association has already investigated groups of emitters in the Baltics, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain for CO2 for storage, said Wintershall Dea.
“CCS as a decarbonisation strategy is expected to expand and grow significantly in Europe in the coming years, so this is just the beginning. The world needs CCS at scale and we are proud to be part of the solution. Together with our strong partner Wintershall Dea, we are ready to do our part to lead the industry towards a sustainable future,” said Ingvild Sæther, CEO of Altera Infrastructure Group Ltd.
In addition to the Havstjerne license awarded, Wintershall Dea recalled that it operates the Luna license in the Norwegian North Sea for future CO2 storage and is working with Equinor on the NOR-GE project on a 900 kilometer CO2 pipeline in length
In March 2023, Wintershall Dea started the first CO2 storage in the Danish North Sea as part of Project Greensand and demonstrated the feasibility and safety of the technology. Wintershall Dea noted that, for the first time in the EU, the entire CCS value chain is being implemented across European borders.
Together with its CCS plans in Norway, Wintershall Dea underlines its ambition to make a vital contribution to Europe’s climate goals.
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