Denmark to turn 1st to import, bury carbon dioxide under 'Greensand'

Carbon dioxide is injected into the graveyard to prevent further warming of the atmosphere.

The permit to start the pilot phase was received last December, a global newswire reported. Around 30 such projects are operational at present or under development in Europe.

While other projects store carbon dioxide emissions from nearby industrial sites, Greensand brings the gas from far away. First captured at the source, the carbon dioxide is then liquefied—in Belgium in Greensand's case—then transported, currently by ship but potentially by pipelines, and stored in reservoirs such as geological cavities or depleted oil and gas fields, the newswire report said.

Greensand transports the carbon in special containers to the Nini West platform, where it is injected into an existing reservoir 1.8 kilometres under the seabed. Once the pilot phase gets over, the plan is to use the neighbouring Siri field as well.

The North Sea is particularly suitable for such projects as the region already has pipelines and potential storage sites after decades of oil and gas production.

France's TotalEnergies is also exploring the possibility of burying carbon dioxide near the Greensand site to trap five million tonnes per year by 2030.

Norway already has carbon capture and storage facilities in operation to offset domestic emissions, but it will also be receiving tonnes of liquefied carbon dioxide in a few years, transported from Europe by ship.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)