The mission to store CO2 beneath the Danish North Sea has cleared the first major hurdle after the intended subsea reservoir was confirmed feasible for CO2 injection by independent certification body DNV GL to the endorsement of Danish authorities. With this certification of feasibility to DNV GL’s Carbon Capture and Storage certification regime and the international standard, Project Greensand has successfully completed the first phase of validation of the project aiming to develop capacity to deliver a significant part of Denmark’s CO2 reduction target by reusing discontinued offshore oil fields.

The certification of feasibility issued by DNV GL concerns the Nini West reservoir operated by INEOS Oil & Gas Denmark which is leading the Project Greensand consortium, partnered by Wintershall Dea and Maersk Drilling. DNV GL confirms that the Nini West field is conceptually suitable for injecting 0.45 million tonnes CO2 per year per well for a 10-year period, and that the subsea reservoir can safely contain the CO2 in compressed form. Further, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) acts as research partner to the project and is in the process of performing laboratory experiments of core material from the actual Nini West reservoir.

Project Greensand targets having the first well ready for injection from the Nini platform in 2025. Longer term, the ambition is to develop the capacity to store approximately 3.5 million tonnes CO2 per year before 2030. Like the majority of carbon capture and storage projects currently being developed within Europe, the establishment of a funding model is required to mature Project Greensand to a state where CO2 injection can commence.

Maersk Drilling expects that Project Greensand will provide important learnings about how offshore drilling rigs and capabilities can be used to repurpose existing oil wells for CO2 injection and handle well modifications during the injection period.

”As a trusted voice to the industry, DNV GL is pleased to participate in a project with an important objective to significantly reduce the CO2 footprint by issuing this industry certification following our CCS certification scheme,” says Mick Cramer Jakobsen, Director Capital Projects, DNV GL.

“We’re thrilled to get this independent certification that Nini West is suitable for injection and long-term safe storage of CO2, just like the reservoir previously contained hydrocarbons for millions of years. As part of the next phase of validation, we will be applying DNV GL’s certification scopes for suitability of the CO2 injection well design and well construction process. We’re excited to be able to bring our competencies to use in this effort to deliver significant emission reductions,” says Marika Reis, Head of Innovation, Maersk Drilling.

“Wintershall Dea has been producing from the relevant oil fields in Denmark for decades and already has a high level of knowledge of the reservoir characteristics. The Greensand project will further advance Wintershall Dea’s understanding of CCS projects, thus, we are pleased to see the positive outcome of the study which states that there are no showstoppers for futher investigating the storage of CO2. We are looking forward to further cooperate with the project partners for the next phase and are glad to contribute to a project with the potential to mitigate CO2 emissions in Denmark.“ says Klaus Langemann, SVP of Technology & Innovation, Wintershall Dea.

Certification of the reservoir

- With the “certificate of conformity – site feasibility”, DNV GL has confirmed that the Nini West reservoir is conceptually suitable for geological storage of CO2 and thereby suitable for further qualification according to the ISO 27914:2017 and DNVGL-SE-0473 standards.
- This confirms that Nini West is conceptually suitable for injection and long-term storage of 0.45 million tonnes CO2 per year per well over a period of 10 years.

About Maersk Drilling A/S

Maersk Drilling designs, develops and operates a global fleet of advanced drilling rigs using cutting-edge technology and know-how. Our modern fleet counts 24 drilling rigs including drillships, deepwater semi-submersibles and high-end jack-up rigs. We create value with our customers through a unique service delivery concept where we customise safe, efficient and consistent drilling services. We build our service around our highly skilled and committed workforce, our state of the art offshore drilling rigs and our 40 years of experience operating in the most challenging.

About INEOS

INEOS is a leading manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products. It has 34 businesses, with a production network spanning 171 manufacturing facilities in 24 countries. From paints to plastics, textiles to technology, medicines to mobile phones - chemicals manufactured by INEOS enhance almost every aspect of modern life. INEOS had sales in 2018 of around $60bn and EBITDA close to €6bn. Its products make a significant contribution to saving life, improving health and enhancing standards of living for people around the world.

About Wintershall Dea

Wintershall Dea is Europe’s leading independent natural gas and oil company with more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 13 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Russia, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business.

Wintershall Dea was formed from the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, in 2019. Today, the company employs around 2,800 people worldwide from over 60 nations.

About DNV GL

DNV GL is a global quality assurance and risk management company. Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, we enable our customers to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification, technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas, power and renewables industries. We also provide certification, supply chain and data management services to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our experts are dedicated to helping customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.