Project Greensand, carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the Danish North Sea, has received official safety approval from DNV. The project aims to store up to 1.5 million tonnes/year (tpy) of CO2 in 2025-26, and as much as 8 million tpy by 2030.
DNV’s safety verification covers everything from fabrication by individual subcontractors to the actual offshore installation. Its work involved extensive analyses of plans, the suitability of the underground sites, and the practicability of the storage and designs, along with physical presence during a stress test of the individual sub-elements and approval of the connection and installation of offshore systems throughout the value chain and across national borders.
Wintershall Dea Norge AS and INEOS E&P AS earlier this year received the first CO2 storage licenses for Project Greensand from the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities (OGJ Online, Feb. 20, 2023). Captured CO2 will be stored in depleted oil reservoirs in Nini West and Nini Main fields.
Project Greensand’s pilot stage used Nini West. The storage area has been extended to Nini Main field to start commercial operations. CO2 is transported on ships, transferred to the Nini platform, then pumped into the sandstone reservoirs through injection wells. Expansion to 8 million tpy will use depleted fields in the Siri Fairway.
The consortium behind Project Greenway consists of 23 companies and includes Noble Corp., Aker Carbon Capture ASA, and Blue Water Shipping Inc. in addition to Wintershall and INEOS.