Offshore construction has started for the UK’s first offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project as Saipem’s 325-meter-long vessel Castorone arrives in the Southern North Sea to start pipelaying.
Developed some 75 kilometers east of Flamborough Head, the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) project will comprise an onshore CO2 gathering network, compression facilities and a 145-kilometer offshore pipeline connected to subsea injection facilities in the Endurance saline aquifer located around 1,000 meters below the North Sea seabed.
During the offshore campaign, Castorone will use almost 3,000 tons of marine biofuel, reducing emissions associated with construction activities. At the same time, Sonardyne’s environmental monitoring technology will gather data from the seabed and help monitor the surrounding marine environment to verify the long-term safety of carbon storage, NEP, a joint venture of BP, Equinor and TotalEnergies, reported.
“Just a few months ago, we welcomed the arrival of our linepipe into the Port of Hartlepool. Today, seeing Castorone arrive in the Southern North Sea to begin laying that linepipe is a powerful reminder of the pace and scale of progress being made,” said Rich Denny , Managing Director at NEP.
“This is more than an engineering milestone. It is a significant moment for the East Coast Cluster, for industrial decarbonisation and for the UK’s journey to net zero. The infrastructure we are building has the potential to support jobs, attract investment to the region and help secure a cleaner future for generations to come.”
Storage at the site is expected to start in 2028, making it the first operational CCS project in the UK. The initial phase is expected to see up to 100 million tons of CO2 stored in the Endurance aquifer over a 25-year period.