Dutch State Eyes CCUS Scheme
Port of Rotterdam Authority, state gas transmission system operator Gasunie and the state-owned producer EBN are preparing a carbon capture usage and storage project, Gasunie said February 14.
Industrial emissions of CO2 will be transported to storage sites in depleted gas fields deep beneath the North Sea. The three companies are working together on the preparation of this project under the name Porthos: Port of Rotterdam CO2 Transport Hub & Offshore Storage.
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The Porthos project is being developed as an open access transport and storage infrastructure which can be used by multiple parties to store CO2. An 'expression of interest' process has been launched in order to obtain a clear picture of which companies are interested to become a customer, and when and how much CO2 they are willing and able to supply. Companies can express their interest before April 1, 2019.
The expression of interest process is part of the preparations for the Porthos project. A decision about the realisation of the Porthos project is expected to be taken in the course of 2020. More information about the registration process can be found on the website of Rotterdam CCUS.
Most European schemes involving CCS so far rely on some government or European Union support for funding, if only in the initial stages, except when the CCS is part of a bigger project, such as enhanced oil recovery. The price of carbon emissions is rising, in the EU trading scheme, but it is still far short of what is needed to justify the infrastructure costs for the industries collecting the flue gases, as well as the upstream costs.
The UK government is looking at ways to cover the initial costs of the Acorn project, which like the Dutch scheme involves a depleted gas reservoir.