Energy and Petroleum Minister Receives CO2 Storage Atlas for North Sea

Minister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Moe received a CO2 storage atlas for the North Sea today. The atlas provides a thorough overview of geological formations expected to be well-suited for CO2 storage. This work took place under the direction of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).

”There is little point in capturing CO2 if we don’t have a secure place to store it. Finding appropriate and safe areas for storage is a precondition for implementing carbon capture and storage as a measure to mitigate climate change. The CO2 storage atlas is an important part of this work,” says Minister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Moe.

The objective of the CO2 atlas has been to find areas in the opened parts of the Norwegian shelf that are suitable for safe and effective CO2 storage, without this having a negative impact on the petroleum activity. Reservoirs on the Norwegian shelf are expected to have the capacity to store large volumes of CO2. In an even longer perspective, these reservoirs may also be relevant storage sites for CO2 from other countries.

“The NPD has carried out ground-breaking work here. Norway has excellent expertise in this field, and unique experience with offshore storage. This means that the CO2 storage atlas will probably receive international attention,” says Borten Moe.

The NPD has now started work to expand the atlas to cover the Norwegian Sea.

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Offshore Nieuws Staff , December 14, 2011