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Norway confirms great potential for CO2 storage but is a bit of a climate skeptic?

“…Bellona does however question the Norwegian Government’s reluctance to implement the EU CCS Directive (2009/31/EC). Norway thereby joins a club of only a handful of the EU’s 27 Member States, led by the climate-sceptical Poland. The Directive has been deemed EEA relevant, which adds a clear pressure to move forward in implementing it, but it seems obvious that the Norwegian Government are using unnecessary delaying tactics in order to avoid doing so…”

 

http://priceofoil.org/2009/07/02/exxon-still-funding-sceptics/

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) states in a new report, released on 25 January, that significant amounts of CO2 can be stored in the Norwegian Sea. The potential for safe storage of CO2 in the Norwegian parts of the North Sea could amount to 5.5 gigatonnes.Sirin Engen, 25/01-2013

Although the potential for storing very large amounts of CO₂ in the Norwegian Sea was already well-known, as seen in the “CO2 Storage Atlas” from December 2011 for example, a final confirmation from the NPD qualifying this is very welcome.

The quantified amount of 5.5 gigatonnes is more than 100 times Norway’s total CO₂-discharge in 2012.

Potential and opportunities for the EU
Bellona regards this as very good news in a European perspective as well, particularly due to the fact that fears relating to CO₂ storage erode public support for CCS. In addition, the EU Energy Roadmap 2050 clearly states that the role of fossil fuels in Europe will be dependent on the implementation of CCS. The positive prospective for storage discovered in the Norwegian Sea could play a vital role in managing CO₂ emissions in Europe by offeringstorage space to European countries that are lacking in this capacity.

Norwegian hesitation
Bellona does however question the Norwegian Government’s reluctance to implement the EU CCS Directive (2009/31/EC). Norway thereby joins a club of only a handful of the EU’s 27 Member States, led by the climate-sceptical Poland. The Directive has been deemed EEA relevant, which adds a clear pressure to move forward in implementing it, but it seems obvious that the Norwegian Government are using unnecessary delaying tactics in order to avoid doing so.

A Norway that chooses to take part in the international development of CCS could be proven very positive. The country already has valuable experience from Sleipner relating to the financial responsibility for stored CO₂. Such expertise can be of great benefit to the EU, Canada and other countries in the world that are attempting to develop CCS demonstration projects.

The way forward
The NPD plans to map out the entire Norwegian shelf, particularly the Barents Sea, in search of suitable areas for CO₂ storage.

http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2012/1359128467.64

Read more about CO₂ storage on Bellona’s CCS web.

January 27, 2013 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized