BP, Eni SPA, Equinor ASA, National Grid PLC, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, and Total SA have formed the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) to develop offshore carbon dioxide (CO2) transportation and storage infrastructure in the UK North Sea.
NEP, to be operated by BP, will serve the proposed Net Zero Teesside (NZT) and Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH) projects to establish decarbonized industrial clusters in Teesside and Humberside on the northeast coast of England. Both projects could be commissioned by 2026, targeting net zero emissions by 2030 through a combination of carbon capture, hydrogen, and fuel-switching.
If successful, NEP, working in tandem with NZT and ZCH, could decarbonize almost 50% of the UK’s industrial emissions, according to BP. NEP has submitted an application for funds through Phase 2 of the UK government’s £170-million ($222-million) Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC).
IDC is intended to hasten development of an offshore pipeline network to transport captured CO2 emissions from both NZT and ZCH to offshore geological storage beneath the UK North Sea. The application follows approval by the UK Oil and Gas Authority for BP and Equinor joining National Grid in the carbon storage license for Endurance reservoir.
