Energy giants enter carbon capture agreement

​Shell, Total and Statoil have signed a partnership agreement to develop carbon storage on the Norwegian continental shelf.

The energy companies will contribute financial support, people and experience to the project, which is part of the Norwegian authorities’ efforts to develop full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Norway.

The first phase of the project could store up 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, and according to a press release it could become the first carbon capture project to receive CO2 from industrial sources in several countries.

“A massive scale up of number of CCS projects are needed and collaboration and sharing of knowledge are essential to accelerating the development,” said Irene Rummelhoff, Statoil’s executive vice president for New Energy Solutions.

The project will store CO2 from industrial facilities in eastern Norway, which will be transported by ship to a terminal on the country’s western coast. The emissions will then be transferred to storage tank, and then sent through a pipeline to injection wells under the seabed.

A recent study by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers found that better forms of carbon capture could be key to retaining public support for fossil fuels.