The company has been commissioned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) to prepare transport solutions for planned carbon capture from gas-fired power stations at Kårstø and Mongstad. Gassnova SF is in overall charge of this transport and storage project, while responsibility for the transport component has been assigned to Gassco.

The latter carried out a study in 2007 to verify the technical feasibility of carbon transport by pipeline from the planned capture plants to storage locations in geological formations beneath the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

This work concluded that the solutions studied were technically feasible. The project was therefore extended to produce a basis for the choice of concept made at the end of 2008.

 

 

Conceptual studies
Gassco carried out conceptual studies from July 2007 to December 2008 for carbon transport from the Naturkraft power station at Kårstø and the Mongstad refinery to long-term storage on the NCS.
 Solutions studied cover pipelines from Kårstø and Mongstad to Sleipner A in the North Sea, the Utsira South formation in the same area and the Johansen formation further east.

 

Utsira
Further work leading to an investment decision for transport from Kårstø focuses on a 12-inch pipeline to carry carbon dioxide from a capture plant for Naturkraft’s gas-fired power station. This pipeline will be dimensioned to handle deliveries to the Utsira formation, with both Sleipner A and Utsira South as storage options.

 

The transport solutions have been assessed in terms of various capacity alternatives, with account taken of costs, reservoir conditions and technological risk. Preliminary engineering will continue until the autumn of 2009, when the results of the work are due to be delivered to Gassnova.

 

The government has halted the procurement process for awarding contracts to lay a carbon transport pipeline until a clearer picture has been gained.

More information will be sought about the operating pattern for the Kårstø power station or other solutions which will provide greater security for stable power generation and thereby for carbon emissions. However, the technical work for preliminary engineering will be completed.

 

Integration
At the request of the MPE, Gassco has identified technical solutions for process-based integration of Naturkraft’s power station and parts of the gas processing plant at Kårstø. This study was submitted to the government on 6 March 2009.

 

Mongstad
In cooperation with Gassnova, Gassco will establish the basis for an investment decision on full-scale carbon transport and storage from Mongstad. The timetable for this work will be tailored to an overall schedule for the carbon capture project at the refinery.
 

Goal
The background for Gassco’s assignment is the Norwegian government’s targets for carbon capture and storage. At Kårstø, the government considers to build a full-scale carbon capture plant for the gas-fired power station. Carbon capture at Mongstad involves a two-step model, with an initial demonstration plant followed by a full-scale unit for the combined heat and power station currently being built there.

 

EU carbon programme for Europipe
CO2 Europipe is a research programme partly funded by the European Union to learn more about carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a European perspective. It is intended to produce recommendations for the European Commission related to the technical, legal and commercial challenges posed by large-scale carbon transport in Europe.

 

Gassco is one of 21 industrial companies participating in the project, taking part in three work packages and leading one of these – a case study based on a Kårstø carbon pipeline. The two other work packages with Gassco involvement embrace legislation and statutory regulations as well as technical aspects. Launched in April 2009, the programme is due to be finalised in October 2011.

Read more about the project here.

 

(15.10.2009)