Norway invests £130m in CCS
10 Oct 2016
The Norwegian government has announced plans to invest NOK 1,314 million (£130m) in developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects throughout the country.
More than 25% (NOK 360m) of the investment will be spent on implementing full-scale CCS, including three industrial emitters for the production of ammonia, cement and waste management and energy recovery.
The fact that Norway has chosen to develop CCS on three very different industrial sites demonstrates the massive importance of CCS to sectors such as steel, cement, chemicals and refining
Luke Warren, chief executive of the CCSA
Following a successful final investment decision, the project could help reduce Norway’s carbon dioxide emissions by 5%, while also helping to meet the global 1.5°C target agreed at the Paris COP21 conference.
Commenting on the investment, Luke Warren, chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), said: “This is a hugely encouraging announcement by the Norwegian Government and could once again place Europe amongst the leading regions developing CCS around the world.
“The fact that Norway has chosen to develop CCS on three very different industrial sites demonstrates the massive importance of CCS to sectors such as steel, cement, chemicals and refining.”
The Norwegian government has also announced a three-year extension to the Technology Center Mongstad (TCM), a CCS test facility jointly owned by Gassnova, Statoil, Sasol and Shell.
A new agreement on the ownership and operation of the centre is expected by the end of the year.
Warren said the UK government should follow Norway’s lead and develop a new approach to CCS that recognises its value right across the UK economy.
Last month, a report by the Parliamentary Advisory Group on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) found that CCS technology could now be delivered in the UK “cost-effectively”.
