First CO2 injection offshore UK starts paving the way for permanent storage

Perenco UK and Carbon Catalyst Limited have kicked off the UK’s first-ever CO2 injection test, carried out at a carbon capture and storage (CCS) license in the North Sea that encompasses what is seen as the UK’s largest depleted gas field.

As part of Project Poseidon, the test includes CO2 being injected into the depleted Leman natural gas field in the UK Southern North Sea from Petrodec’s ERDA rig, newly equipped with injection test facilities and said to be the first rig in the UK to have achieved an approved safety case for CO2 injection support.

The start of the test follows months of preparatory work, which included the conclusion of the workover of the well, a former gas producer, and entailed a new completion specifically designed for the CO2 injection test.

According to Perenco, the injection test has the potential to unlock the Poseidon CCS project, which has an initial injection capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), rising to an ultimate capacity of 40 Mtpa, commencing in 2029.

The injection test comes after the UK Government’s recent pledge of approximately £22 billion (around $27.4 billion) for CCS through the funding of two carbon capture sites. 

“As the first test of its kind in the UK, today’s news is a key moment, not only for Perenco and the wider Project Poseidon Joint Venture, but also for the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions. If successful, the project could be a significant store for CO2 in the future, playing a key role in decarbonising industrial. emitters and helping the UK achieve its net zero objectives,” said Jo White, General Manager at Perenco UK.

“I would like to extend our thanks for the support to date from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and congratulate our industry partners, including Petrodec, and the Perenco team in getting the project to this important stage.”

Perenco and Carbon Catalyst secured a license to progress the Poseidon CCS project at the Leman gas fields in August 2023. In November of the same year, Wintershall Dea came on board by buying a 10% interest from Carbon Catalyst, marking its entry into a second UK CCS project, including the Camelot license.

Leman is said to be the largest reservoir complex in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), offering a mixture of depleted gas reservoirs and saline aquifers in which to permanently store recovered CO2. The ultimate storage capacity is around 1,000 Mt. The field is connected to the PUK Bacton Terminal, which will receive and process CO2 offshore.