Norway receives six CO2 storage applications

Norway's petroleum and energy ministry has received applications from six firms in its latest invitation for CO2 injection and storage on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) in the North Sea.

Norway's state-controlled Equinor, oil and gas group Sval Energi, blue hydrogen and ammonia company Horisont Energi, UK-based private equity-backed producer Neptune Energy, decarbonisation firm Storegga, and German upstream firm Wintershall Dea all submitted applications for CO2 storage land allocations in a specific area of the NCS.

The deadline for applications was 22 February and all those submitted will now be processed by the ministry, which aims to allocate the land in the first half of this year.

The CO2 storage round was the second to take place in recent months, following the ministry's previous invitation for applications in November. Horisont Energi, Neptune Energy and Wintershall Dea also submitted applications in November, along with Norway-focused independent Aker BP, offshore services firm Altera Infrastructure and Austrian refiner OMV.

Norway is a frontrunner in carbon capture and storage development. Its industrial-scale Longship project is scheduled to start up in 2024.

By Victoria Hatherick