Norwegian authorities look at CCS in Troll field

Sept. 5, 2008
The NPD and Gassnova, the state company that handles CCS, have commissioned a seismic survey to see if Troll field in the North Sea can accommodate carbon dioxide from plants at Mongstad and Karsto.

Uchenna Izundu
International Editor

LONDON, Sept. 5 -- The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) and Gassnova SF, Norway's state company that handles carbon capture and storage (CCS), have commissioned a seismic survey to see if Troll field in the North Sea can accommodate carbon dioxide from the industrial plants at Mongstad and Karsto.

The 3D seismic survey will focus on whether the Johansen formation at Troll can permanently store large volumes of CO2 and where the CO2 injection wells should be drilled. The Johansen formation is 2,500 m below the Troll oil and gas reservoirs and is south of the Troll area.

StatoilHydro will shoot the survey later in September using the Ramform Challenger vessel. Processing and interpretation of the 3D seismic data will probably be completed early in 2009.

Odd Magne Mathiassen, NPD research coordinator, said: "Finding the optimal placement of injection wells is important to ensure that the carbon dioxide can be stored and that it will remain in the reservoir in the future."

This investigation builds upon two other studies carried out for CO2 where NPD assessed storage sites connected to the Utsira formation in the Sleipner area.

Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].