TAQA lets well contract for Porthos CO2 transport and storage

TAQA Offshore BV has let a contract for the VALARIS JU-123, a heavy-duty harsh environment jack up, to Valaris Ltd. for preparation of a wellbore for the Porthos CO₂ transport and storage project offshore the Netherlands.

Porthos will transport CO₂ through an offshore pipeline to a platform in the North Sea, about 20 km off the coast. From this platform, CO₂ will be pumped in empty gas fields with sealed reservoirs of porous sandstone more than 3 km beneath the North Sea. In its early years the project expects to store about 2.5 million tonnes/yr of CO₂.

In conjunction with the contract, the rig will be upgraded with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. When in operation, the system will eliminate almost all NO_x and SO_x emissions from the rig, Valaris said.

The contract is expected to begin in this year’s fourth quarter with an estimated minimum duration of 60 days.