Milestone for CCS project Greensand reached
- Reservoir in Danish North Sea independently certified for CO2 injection and storage
- CCS project a part of Wintershall Dea’s strategy for the energy transition
Project Greensand, which aims to store CO2 beneath the Danish North Sea, has cleared a first major hurdle. Injection and storage of CO2 in the Nini West subsea reservoir has been certified feasible by independent certification body DNV GL.
The Nini West oil reservoir is operated by INEOS Oil & Gas Denmark with Wintershall Dea as partner. With this certification DNV GL confirms that the reservoir 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.
“We are proud to have achieved this first milestone for Project Greensand. The certification means we can be confident that the reservoir is suitable for safe and long term storage. Now we will work with our project partners to gain knowledge and drive the project forward” says Margarethe Kleczar, Head of the Carbon Management and Hydrogen Division, Wintershall Dea.
Wintershall Dea, INEOS Oil and Gas Denmark, Maersk Drilling and a research partner, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) formed the Project Greensand consortium to reuse discontinued offshore oil fields for the permanent safe storage of CO2 captured at onshore industrial facilities.
Project Greensand targets having the first well ready for injection from the Nini platform in 2025. Longer term, the ambition is to develop capacity to store approximately 3.5 million tonnes CO2 per year before 2030.
Wintershall Dea brings to the project a strong knowledge of the relevant reservoirs and as Klaus Langemann, SVP for Technology & Innovation, explains, the company knows the environment well: “We have been producing from the relevant oil fields in Denmark for decades and already have a high level of knowledge of the reservoir characteristics. The Greensand Project will further advance Wintershall Dea’s understanding of CCS, so we are pleased to see this positive outcome, which states that there are no showstoppers for further investigating the storage of CO2. We are looking forward to further cooperation 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.“
The project forms a part of Wintershall Dea’s intention to support the
energy transition. Earlier in November, Wintershall Dea published greenhouse gas reduction targets, aiming for net zero for its production activities (scope 1 + 2 emissions, operated and non-operated upstream activities at equity share basis) by 2030. Beyond 2030, the company intends to significantly reduce Scope 3 emissions, which are mainly generated through the combustion of gas and oil it produces. Hydrogen and CCS can play a key role in this, as the company has both relevant assets and competencies to help in contributing to emission reductions.
In addition to Project Greensand, Wintershall Dea is currently involved in projects including a feasibility study for CCS at Brage in Norway, and a methane pyrolysis (hydrogen) research partnership with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The company established a Carbon Management and Hydrogen division earlier this year in order to further drive forward its work in these areas.
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.
