BP (LON: BP) has hit a key milestone ahead of reaching a final investment decision on the Northern Endurance carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the UK.
Endurance is an offshore geological site, which forms part of the East Coast Cluster, a project which aims to store 23 million tonnes of CO2 per year from industrial emitters in the Humber and Teesside.
BP has now submitted an environmental statement to regulator OPRED, an important step ahead of a projected FID being made in 2024.
Today also marks the start of a public consultation on the project.
“Subject to future expansion in line with the UK government cluster selection process, the ECC (East Coast Cluster) stands ready to remove almost 50% of the UK’s total industrial cluster CO2 emissions, create and protect thousands of jobs and establish the Teesside and Humber regions as globally competitive climate friendly hubs for industry and innovation,” said BP’s statement.
BP is operator with a 45% stake, partnered with Equinor (45%) and TotalEnergies (10%). Shell pulled out of the project earlier this year.
The energy giant is also planning a gas-fired power plant as part of the Net Zero Teesside project, using CCS via Northern Endurance, which will be the “UK’s first zero-carbon industrial centre”.
Northern Endurance
© Supplied by BPEndurance is the “UK’s largest and most well understood” saline acquifer formation for CO2 storage, which ultimately aims to store 100 million tonnes of CO2 over its 25-year development life.
BP plans first injection in 2027, and forms phase one of the East Coast Cluster initially targeting four million tonnes stored per annum.
For context, the UK Government estimates 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 needs to be stored per year by 2030 and over 50 million tonnes per year by 2035 to keep the country on course for net zero, so other projects like Endurance are still required.
It sits 39 miles offshore, and will take CO2 from sites in Humber and Teesside via two pipelines with use of “first of its kind” CCS infrastructure.
Along with electric and communications cables, Northern Endurance will require five new offshore wells drilled for the storage site via a jackup rig, and two subsea manifolds to control and monitor the distribution of CO2 into the wells.
Drilling of the wells is expected in 2026.
The East Coast Cluster was selected for Track 1 funding, part of a £1bn government competition, in November 2021.
Consultation
Notices have been submitted and today (October 5) marks the start of a public consultation on the project, which runs until November 6.
Any representations can be made to the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) at OPRED@Energysecurity.gov.uk
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