Denmark’s Project Greensand hires NOV for CO2 transfer solution

INEOS and its partners in Project Greensand, an initiative that aims to set up a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain offshore Denmark by 2026, have selected a provider of an offshore CO2 injection system for the project.

As disclosed, INEOS and its partners have awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction contract (EPC) to offshore technology provider APL, a part of oilfield services company NOV, to deliver the offshore injection system, which enables the direct injection of CO2 from transport vessels into the reservoir.

This contract marks APL’s entrance into a new market, and the Greensand project will be among the first applications of this technology for offshore CO2 injection.

“CCS is going to play a vital role in the energy transition, and with Greensand becoming the first CO2 storage facility in the EU, we take a giant and important step toward large-scale storage of CO2 from European emitters,” said Kurt Jager Lykke, Head of Project Greensand in INEOS Energy.

“Effective and safe transportation and transfer of CO2 will be crucial. Therefore, we are happy to enter into a partnership with APL on the delivery of the Offshore Injection System for Greensand.”

Project Greensand marked a world first on March 8, 2023, with the first-ever injection of CO2 in the North Sea, demonstrating that captured CO2 can be transported across borders and stored offshore.

In early December 2024, INEOS, the day-to-day operator, with its partners Harbour Energy and Nordsøfonden (the Danish North Sea Fund) reached the final investment decision (FID) to invest in the Greensand Future Project, which is the first commercial phase of the Greensand project that will establish Denmark’s first CO2 storage site at the Nini field in the Danish North Sea.

The Greensand Future Project aims to store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually in the initial phase, with plans to increase capacity to up to 8 million tonnes annually by 2030.

The CO2 in the first phase of Greensand Future will be captured and liquified at Danish biomethane production plants, transported to the port of Esbjerg, and then shipped by Royal Wagenborg to the Nini West reservoir to be stored 1,800 meters below the seabed.

A crucial part in the project will be played by recently launched Carbon Destroyer 1 – ‘the first’ European-built offshore CO2 carrier.

The ship was built according to the EasyMax design, which was jointly developed by Dutch shipowner and operator Royal Wagenborg and Royal Niestern Sander shipyard.

The pioneering vessel features a cargo capacity of approximately 5,000 tons of liquid CO2 and is said to meet the latest standards for safety, fuel efficiency, and low emissions.