North-east consultancy wins €3.5m DECC project to identify UK carbon-capture sites

Banchory-based Pale Blue Dot energy consultancy has been awarded €3.5 million for a year-long project to identify and assess a portfolio of offshore geological CO₂ storage sites, which will in turn be used to accelerate necessary future CCS projects across the UK.

The contract has been awarded by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and is funded by the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Working alongside Pale Blue Dot Energy are construction and engineering conglomerate Costain and Axis Well Technology, an oil and gas with offices in Aberdeen and London.

The availability of safe and permanent CO₂ storage capacity is the most crucial step in preventing millions of tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere. In addition permanent CO₂ storage is the only current method to achieve large scale carbon negative emissions.

Den Gammer, CCS Strategy Manager at the ETI, said: “This will put the UK on track to permanently store decades of emissions from many of its major power stations and industrial emitters and will also significantly de-risk and encourage the deployment of CCS technology in the years ahead.”

Costain will be responsible for appraising the offshore infrastructure requirements and costs, which will drive the progression of five significant offshore storage sites in order to meet their 2030 CO₂ injection targets.

The results will inform the UK’s ability to permanently store decades of emissions from major power stations and industrial emitters, whilst removing the risk surrounding the deployment of CCS technology in the future.

Frazer Mackay, Costain’s Oil and Gas Director, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this project, as it allows us to demonstrate Costain’s expertise and field development capabilities and make a material difference to the UK’s CCS landscape and future.”