Three companies apply for CO2 storage permit off Norway

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has received applications from three companies interested in securing space for possible future CO2 storage on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

The companies that applied for a permit by the deadline of 1 June are TotalEnergies EP Norge, Wintershall Dea Norge, and CapeOmega.

The ministry will now process the applications and plans to allocate the area in the North Sea in accordance with the storage regulations during the second half of this year.

“There is considerable industrial interest in projects that include commercial storage of CO2 on the Norwegian shelf. Further allocations of land will strengthen the development of an important climate measure and contribute to building up under a new, commercial industry on the Norwegian shelf,” said Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland.

“Companies that have the ability and will, and have matured good projects that include storage of CO2, will be able to apply for a storage permit. I am happy to receive more requests to announce additional area for CO2 storage.”

Three CO2 storage permits have been granted on the NCS so far. Permit EL 001 was awarded to Northern Lights in 2019 and two more permits were allocated this April, one in the North Sea and one in the Barents Sea.

The North Sea one was awarded to Equinor, while the license in the Barents Sea was offered to a group consisting of Equinor, Horisont Energi, and Vår Energi. 

Specifically, the ministry awarded Equinor the operatorships for the two licenses referred to as Smeaheia and Polaris.

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