Equinor, Wintershall back Germany-Norway CO2 pipeline
Equinor and Germany's Wintershall Dea will build a CO2 transport pipeline connecting Germany to underground carbon storage centres in the Norwegian North Sea, the two partners said on August 30.
The NOR-GE CCS is expected to launch in 2032 though Wintershall says operations could start earlier, with ship containers deployed to carry CO2 until the pipeline has been constructed.
Under Equinor and Wintershall's proposal, a 900-km pipeline would link Norwegian CCS centres offshore in the North Sea to the Wintershall-backed EnergyHub cluster, which is being developed in the north German port of Wilhelmshaven.
EnergyHub will collect CO2 from industrial plants in the surrounding region, but will also offer 5.6TWh/yr of hydrogen production, using Norwegian fossil gas as well as electricity-based hydrogen sources.
By 2037 the NOR-GE CCS pipeline will transport between 20 and 40mn metric tons/yr of carbon, absorbing up to 20% of Germany's CO2 output and making a "significant contribution" to Europe's roadmap for GHG reductions.
In Norway, Wintershall and Equinor will submit regulatory applications to store 15-20 mt/y in the continental shelf's depleted reservoirs. The NCS could eventually be used to store more than 80bn mt of carbon, according to figures from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, enough to tackle Norway's current CO2 output for 1,000 years. That makes Norway a prime destination for cross-border European CCS initiatives.
Germany is Europe's largest CO2 emitter. It produced 674.8mn mt of CO2 last year, up roughly 10% on the 2020 period, when coronavirus restrictions dampened energy demand, according to Statistica.
Equinor's president and CEO, Anders Opedal, commented: "This is a strong energy partnership that supports European industries to decarbonise their operational processes
"Wintershall Dea and Equinor are hereby committed to the energy transition, leveraging the expertise and experience of both companies to work with governments and partners to achieve net zero target."
Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall, added: "Wintershall Dea and Equinor will work together to develop a technical and commercial solution for the development of cross-border CCS value chains in Europe and work with governments to design the appropriate regulatory framework.
"We will continue our close cooperation and the next chapter of the German-Norwegian partnership pitch."