DNV to undertake Dutch CO2 pipeline study

Norwegian risk management and quality assurance firm DNV said on June 22 it had been awarded a study contract from Neptune Energy for assessing the fracture and suitability of offshore pipelines for re-use in CO₂ transport.

The pipeline materials analysis is part of a broader feasibility study Neptune is carrying out with its licence partners and local CO₂ emitters. The North Sea-focused operator unveiled plans for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project off the Dutch coast in December that would store 5-8mn metric tons/year of CO₂ from Dutch industry at depleted reservoirs at the L10-A, L10-B and LO-E offshore areas.

If the project is realised, it would be one of the largest CCS initiatives in the Dutch North Sea and could cover half of the planned reduction in CO₂ emissions in Dutch industry, DNV said.

"We see CCS as one of the ways to accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy sector. DNV is a pioneer in the field of CCS, with a track record dating back to the 1990s," DNV's regional director for energy systems in north Europe, Prajeev Rasiah, said in a statement. "With the potential to be one of the largest CCS facilities in the Dutch North Sea, at scale projects such as these will be significant for CCS technology advancement and cost reduction."

The first phase of DNV's study will identify the most advanced approaches to assessing ductile fractures in dense phase CO₂ pipeline systems and how such assessments can be applied to both welded and seamless subsea line pipes. The most suitable approach will then be used in the second phase to evaluate how suitable existing pipelines are for pumping CO_2.

The Netherlands has an extensive onshore and offshore gas pipeline network, which Neptune and others have argued could be repurposed for carrying CO₂ and hydrogen rather than being decommissioned as the country's gas production declines. Neptune discussed its energy transition plans in depth in an interview with NGW in April.