The Norwegian government has announced that it will invest
an additional $34m in developing its carbon capture and storage (CCS)
capability. The funding is aimed at the country’s large-scale industrial CCS programme.
The Carbon Capture and Storage Association has welcomed the news with Dr Luke
Warren, Chief Executive of the CCSA, commenting, “ “We are encouraged to see
that the Norwegian Government has today moved a step closer to realising a
Norwegian industrial CCS cluster.”
The commitment to further studies for both the Norcem cement plant and the
Klemetsrud waste-to-energy facility is globally significant – as both of these
would represent world-first low-carbon industrial projects through CCS,
enabling these industries to contribute to clean growth.
“The Norwegian Government will also take forward the development of CCS
transport and storage infrastructure on the west coast of Norway. Developing
CO2 storage assets for Europe is of vital importance to meet Paris Agreement
climate targets and to decarbonise some of our most important industrial
sectors.”
The Norwegian government proposes to fund FEED studies (Front End Engineering
and Design studies) with $9.8M in 2018. The total funding for the demonstration
project in 2018 amounts to $34m, 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.
The UK is due to publish its CCUS Deployment Pathway by the end of this year. The CCSA asserted that Britain must ensure that this Pathway delivers a strong new approach to CCS that places the UK alongside Norway as a global leader in this vital technology and makes full use of the UK’s expertise and strategic CO2 storage assets.
