Regional Screening for Carbon Storage Opportunities in the UK Southern North Sea

Abstract

Summary The UK’s first-ever carbon storage (CS) licensing round launched in June 2022 is expected to drive growth in the carbon capture and storage industry and contribute to the UK government’s target of sequestering 20–30MT of CO2 by 2030. Of the 13 storage areas on offer, eight are located within the Southern North Sea (SNS). Potential storage options lie within depleted fields and saline aquifers. Combined with an extensive subsurface database, existing infrastructure and proximity to industrial clusters the SNS is an attractive area for CS. This study identifies areas of highest CS potential and has enabled an updated assessment of the CS opportunities available within the UK SNS. A regional screening project was undertaken utilising established play-based techniques applied to key geological criteria required for CS. Interpretation of regional seismic and well data supply the foundation for a series of maps highlighting areas with greatest CS potential. This study demonstrates how legacy oil and gas subsurface data can be utilised for storage site exploration, highlights the importance of data quality and confidence in interpretation and has implications for managing future use of the subsurface.