Neptune Energy has partnered with Norwegian energy infrastructure firm CapeOmega to work on a cross-border CO₂ transport and storage solution for European industrial emitters.
The project, known as NoordKaap, involves the transportation of CO₂ suitable for injecting at offshore locations and for terminal offloading. The CO₂ will be transported via vessels.
Expected to contribute to Dutch, Norwegian, and European climate and energy goals, the project aims to provide ‘cost-effective, scalable’ infrastructure solutions to enable large-scale CO₂ transportation and storage.
The project will focus on offering carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions for industrial clusters where ‘ship transport is the primary or earliest available export option’, according to Neptune.
Neptune Energy Netherlands managing director Lex de Groot said: “Both emitters and storage providers need to be able to transport CO₂ safely, and we know access to pipelines will be limited for some, so we are focusing on both types of transport to offshore storage facilities: piping and shipping.
“CCS also supports Neptune’s strategy to store more carbon than is emitted from our operations and from the oil and gas products we sell by 2030.”
Furthermore, the project will assess industrial cluster prospects in Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium, and northern France.
Supported by partners Groningen Seaport, KNCC, Vopak, and Return Carbon, NoordKaap will provide access to sites for CO₂ storage offshore Norway and the Netherlands.
The NoordKaap project is planned to be commissioned in 2028.
CapeOmega CEO Evy Glørstad said: “NoordKaap comprises an integrated partnership of all stakeholders in the value chain, from emitters to storage facility owners, to ensure close coordination of these proposals as part of the development of a successful decarbonisation strategy.
“NoordKaap would enable us to use our position and experience in pipeline, terminal, shipping, and offshore licence ownership to support CCS and decarbonisation.”
Furthermore, CapeOmega and Neptune have signed a letter of intent with German firm RWE to assess the possibility of transporting green CO₂ from the latter’s Eemshaven power plant in Netherlands for storge in the Dutch North Sea.
RWE Generation CEO Roger Miesen said: “RWE is keen to explore this opportunity together with CapeOmega and Neptune Energy. As RWE, we are currently assessing the possibility to ship and store green CO₂ from our biomass Eemshaven plant to offshore storage in the Dutch North Sea, resulting in negative emissions.
“Our ambition is to make this happen in 2030. That is why the NoordKaap project is such an interesting opportunity for us.”
