Planning of CCS development in the Netherlands offshore

Abstract

The offshore gas fields in The Netherlands provide a storage capacity of about 1 Gt, which will become available over the next few decades. Existing production facilities may be re-used for injection. Uncertainties in storage capacity, injection rates and time of availability require an analysis of the feasibility of storing CO2 at the rates currently projected for the period 2015 - 2050. This paper investigates the availability of storage capacity and the feasibility of injecting CO2 at the rate that current capture scenarios foresee. The cost of storage in depleted gas fields is estimated, assuming either re-use of existing installations or the construction of new platforms and wells. Unit cost of storage, non-discounted, in the range of 10 €/tCO2 is feasible for larger fields; costs for small fields are estimated to range up to 40 €/tCO2. Constructing new, dedicated facilities is not always the more expensive option, due to sometimes long hibernation times and higher operational cost of existing facilities. Two capture scenarios are used for the Rotterdam and Amsterdam areas, with captured volumes increasing to 25 Mt/yr or 40 Mt/yr. In both cases, injection rate limitations become apparent when 70 - 75% of the storage capacity is used, which is around 2055 and 2045, respectively. To ensure continuity of storage, alternatives for storage in offshore gas fields need to be in place by then. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.