Shell offers Goldeneye for CO2 storage

Offshore staff

ABERDEEN, UK -- Shell UK is to collaborate with CO2DeepStore, a subsidiary of Petrofac, on a potential re-development of the Goldeneye gas field complex in the North Sea as a CO₂storage facility.

The two parties will work on a solution for the ScottishPower Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project, one of two bidders in the UK government’s carbon capture and storage competition.

An initial design phase is under way for the carbon capture and storage demonstration project. If this project secures government support, it would be the world’s first commercial scale CCS scheme to be linked to an onshore coal-fired power plant.

Shell will operate the storage venture, while CO2DeepStore, as partner, will provide offshore engineering, modification, and operations services via Petrofac’s Offshore Engineering & Operations business.

ScottishPower’s bid involves capturing and storing CO₂ from its power station at Longannet in Fife, eastern Scotland, which would then be transported via existing pipelines for eventual storage in porous rock formations below the North Sea. Once operational, it is claimed, the capture technology would reduce CO₂ emissions by 90% from one 300 MW unit at Longannet.

10/05/2010