Media Releases

Today, the Norwegian Government announced its revised budget and committed to continue the development of industrial CCS.  This press release has been published on Gassnova's website. Gassnova is a member of the Global CCS Institute.

Source:  Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy

The Government proposes to fund FEED studies (Front End Engineering and Design studies) with 80 million NOK in 2018.The total funding for the demonstration project in 2018 amounts to 280 million NOK, including funds transferred from 2017. The proposed funds for 2018 will cover FEED studies of CO₂ transport, storage and up to two capture facilities.       

Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) point to CCS as a necessary option to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in line with the climate goals at the lowest possible costs.

In the years to come, the climate challenge demands a great effort, which will have to be met within a tighter scope in the budgets. Considerable resources are prioritized for climate options in the Norwegian government budgets. A decision to contribute to financing investment in and operation of a Norwegian full-chain CCS project has to be weighed against other climate measures. The Government has to choose effective measures that maximize the mitigation effect in a cost efficient manner.

The Government has appraised the demonstration project for CO₂ capture and storage since 2015. In the autumn 2017, Norcem, Yara and Fortum Oslo Varme concluded concept studies on CO₂ capture at their industrial sites. These concept studies have now been reviewed through the external quality assurance process for large Governmental projects. The Government is offering Norcem, a subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement, state aid to study CO2-capture at its cement plant in Brevik. Of the three CO₂ capture projects evaluated, Norcem has the best conditions for a successful implementation. Norcem has demonstrated project execution abilities and relatively low cost per tonne CO₂ captured compared to the other two capture projects. The cement industry is also a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

The external quality assurance considered Fortum Oslo Varme's original project to have greater implementation risks. These are related to, inter alia, the length of the pipeline, public perception of having emissions of amines close to a city and the project management experience in the organisation. Further, cost estimates are considerably higher, compared to the other two. These are factors weighing against proposing funding for further studies at their plant. However, Fortum Oslo Varme has provided updated information, which is now being assessed by the external quality assurer. Following this assessment, the Government will consider whether to offer FOV support for FEED.

The Government does not recommend continued studies on CO2-capture at Yara's ammonia plant at Herøya in Porsgrunn. Yara's project has a smaller learning potential compared to the two others, and some uncertainties concerning the plant. Yara considers that it does not make sense industrially to continue the planning of their project.

Throughout FEED the demonstration project will mature further. Uncertainties and risks will be reduced and cost estimates will reach a higher level of certainty. Statoil, Total and Shell are cooperating on the studies of CO2-transport and storage, which will be continued as planned into FEED.  

When FEED is completed, the Government will make a new assessment of the demonstration project and propose to Stortinget to decide upon a potential investment decision. The Government's ambition is to realize a cost effective solution for CCS in Norway, provided this results in technology development internationally.

- We have reached a milestone in the Norwegian CCS demonstration project. I am very pleased to announce our continued commitment to CCS, although many issues remain to be resolved through FEED. To bring forward reasonable cost estimates and contribute to global knowledge dissemination and technology development, says Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Søviknes.

A potential investment decision will impound a large share of the budget for several years to come. Without considerable support from other sources it will be challenging to finance a demonstration project for CO₂ capture and storage in Norway. It is a prerequisite that the companies involved take a share of the costs and risks in the project. Further, it will be necessary to establish a cooperation to support the project, for example with the EU.  

Both the Government and the industrial participants in the project are concerned with giving the project sufficient time in the planning phase. After the concept studies, the timeline for the project suggests that a potential investment decision may be taken in 2020/2021.

The external quality assurer considers the project to be economically unviable. The demonstration project must reach acceptable cost estimates and demonstrate a probability that other projects will follow, and benefit from the learnings of this project. Therefore, it will be of great importance that the companies involved in the project succeed with presenting a basis for the investment decision that facilitates a successful implementation of the project.

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Melbourne, Thursday 12 April: The world authority on carbon capture and storage (CCS), the Global CCS Institute, says today’s launch of a Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) Project heralds the development of a hydrogen industry in Australia that will place CCS at the centre of a new energy economy.

This world first initiative, a joint venture between Global CCS Institute members, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), J-Power, the Australian, Japanese and Victorian governments, and HESC industry partners, will build a pilot plant to produce hydrogen from Latrobe Valley brown coal for export to Japan.

Success with the pilot plant is expected to lead to a commercial size plant, incorporating carbon capture and storage, to produce emission free hydrogen.

Speaking from the launch in the Latrobe Valley, Global CCS Institute Chief Executive Officer, Brad Page, said: “Carbon capture and storage enables hydrogen to be produced from coal or gas with zero emissions and at low commercial cost. Manufacturing hydrogen from coal requires CO₂ to be separated during the production process and as such, there’s very little additional cost associated with capturing CO₂ during the production process. Indeed, multiple studies have found that converting coal and gas to hydrogen and using CCS is the cheapest way to produce low emission hydrogen.

“Because the Latrobe Valley has one of the world’s largest deposits of brown coal and with excellent carbon dioxide storage options nearby in the well characterised Gippsland Basin, it makes perfect sense to locate this world leading project here. The Valley is also home to a workforce with specialized skills and energy sector knowledge to support this initiative.”

Mr Page says this initiative represents a major turning point for CCS in Australia by securing jobs, sustaining communities, and paving the way for a global hydrogen economy that combats climate change.

CCS technology is already the foundation for low emission hydrogen production facilities in Japan, China, the United States and Europe.

The Asia Pacific region is the world’s leading consumer of hydrogen representing one-third of the global demand. Large amounts of hydrogen are already used in refining, ammonia, and methanol production. The range of applications will become broader and accelerate quickly as new uses for hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel are developed. Key among these is transportation, a sector which is difficult to decarbonise.

Mr Page says a hydrogen production plant can anchor a CCS hub in the Latrobe Valley providing a sustainable low-emissions pathway for ongoing commercialisation of the valley’s vast brown coal resources. This will benefit the local community and all Australians.

“The CCS hub and cluster concept is already gaining momentum in the United Kingdom,Norway and the Netherlands where diverse industries are seeing the huge value in sharing CCS infrastructure for commercial and climate change advantage.”

“Today’s announcement is further proof that CCS has come of age and is indispensable to a low emission future.”

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Antonios Papaspiropoulos: +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith: +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

View the Media Release

The Global CCS Institute is delighted to announce the appointment of its CEO, Brad Page, to the newly formed UK CCUS Council and congratulates the UK Government on its recognition of the need to support Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) to meet Paris Climate Change targets.

The Council, which met for the first time in London yesterday (Monday, 29 January), is a clear demonstration of the UK Government’s commitment to a new CCUS approach as outlined in the recently released Clean Growth Strategy (the Strategy).

Led by Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, the Rt Hon Claire Perry MP, the Council will work with a select group of industry representatives to review the progress and priorities of the Strategy in relation to CCUS. Through the CCUS Council, the UK Government will also monitor costs and deployment potential with the option of revising the CCUS deployment path to meet changing political and policy approaches.

Mr Page said he was honoured to be invited to join the Council, and he believed the Institute, as the world authority on carbon capture and storage (CCS), was well placed to use its large member influence and internal expertise to make this clean technology a central driver in reducing global CO₂ emissions.

“I congratulate Minister Perry and the UK Government for their ambitious support for CCUS. It is a proven, versatile, and commercially robust climate mitigation technology which is starting to gain notoriety as the only technology capable of decarbonizing industry. At the same time, it is a catalyst for a new energy economy including hydrogen, bio-energy and CO₂ re-use applications.”

“CCUS represents a new energy direction which can deliver jobs, energy security and new economies the likes of which have never been seen before. Commitment, investment and multi-party collaboration are crucial to creating this fundamental step-change.”

“I look forward to working with Minister Perry, other UK Government representatives and industry leaders on the key strategic issues that will bring CCUS to the forefront of the climate change debate.”

The Clean Growth Strategy sets out a plan for how the UK can meet legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions by 57 per cent from 1990 levels by 2032. It identifies CCUS as a vital area of strategic importance, highlighting its potential to support decarbonisation and maximise opportunities across the whole UK economy.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and CCUS is now commercially successful across 17 large-scale global facilities with a raft of other facilities in development.

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Antonios Papaspiropoulos: +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith: +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider: +32 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists of governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com