Spirit gets license for Irish Sea CO2 storage

May 22, 2023
Britain’s North Sea Transition Authority has granted Spirit Energy a carbon storage license related to the proposed repurposing of the North and South Morecambe gas fields in the East Irish Sea for carbon capture and storage.

Offshore staff

WINDSOR, UK  Britain’s North Sea Transition Authority has granted Spirit Energy a carbon storage license related to the proposed repurposing of the North and South Morecambe gas fields in the East Irish Sea for carbon capture and storage.

The Morecambe Net Zero (MNZ) Cluster could potentially be one of the UK’s largest subsurface carbon stores (up to 1 gigaton of CO2).

Initially, the planned facilities could store more than 5 MMt year of CO2, expanding over time to 25 MMt, with CO2 imported via pipeline, ship and rail.

Last month Spirit Energy submitted a qualifying expression of interest for the MNZ Cluster to be considered for the UK government’s Track 2 CCUS Cluster Sequencing process.

The designated carbon stores will provide long-term access to the UK’s most carbon-intensive industries, also supporting thousands of jobs.

Spirit Energy aims to repurpose the Morecambe fields to form the core of a green `super-hub’ locally at Barrow and the wider northwest England region, also incorporating direct air capture, production of blue and green hydrogen, integration of other renewable power generation facilities, and energy storage.

05.22.2023