Normandy CO2 venture aiming for North Sea storage

Offshore staff

PARIS – TotalEnergies, Esso, Air Liquide, Borealis, and Yara International have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) concerning development of CO₂ infrastructure in northern France.

This includes capture and storage, to help de-carbonize the industrial area of the Normandy region, France. Their goal is to cut CO₂ emissions by up to 3 MMt/yr by 2030.

The MoU includes a collaboration to assess the technical and economic feasibility of developing an industrial CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) chain from the industrial facilities to ultimate storage beneath the North Sea. The partnership, also open to other industrial parties, will seek funding from European, French, and regional schemes.

Bernard Pinatel, President of Refining & Chemicals at TotalEnergies, said: “This collective effort will be facilitated by TotalEnergies’ actions in developing, with partners, CO₂ storages in the North Sea such as the Northern Lights and Aramis’ project.”

François Jackow, executive vice president of Air Liquide, said that since 2015 his company had successfully implemented at its plant in Port Jérôme, Normandy, Cryocap, a proprietary CO₂ capture and liquefaction technology, designed to capture up to 90% of emitted CO₂.

07/12/2021