CLIMIT support means Preem is ready for CCS

The company has two refineries on the west coast of Sweden, one in Lysekil and one in Gothenburg. Preem is exploring the possibility of fullscale CCS using storage in Norway.

Implementation at existing facilities

The primary goal of the project was to research the possibility of implementing fullscale carbon capture from Preem’s hydrogen production unit (HPU) at Preemraff Lysekil in Sweden and to produce liquid CO₂ for permanent storage underneath the west coast of Norway in accordance with specifications and requirements set out in the Longship initiative.

SINTEF Energi AS, Equinor Energy AS, Aker Carbon Capture AS and Chalmers University of Technology have all been involved in the project in one way or another, and publications have been and continue to be released and a number of webinars relating to the project have also been held.

Activities completed during the project

• Carbon capture demonstration at the hydrogen production unit at the Preem refinery in Lysekil. The production unit is based on steam methane reforming (SMR). For the demonstration, pilot-scale carbon absorption was tested through the use of Aker Carbon Capture’s mobile testing unit (MTU).
• Extrapolation of the results of the demonstration so that they can be understood in connection with the work on the fullscale implementation of carbon capture from HPUs and other major emissions sources at the Lysekil refinery and Preem’s refinery in Gothenburg. 
• In-depth examination of opportunities around energy efficiency in the CCS value chain, including recycling and the use of residual heat at the refinery which can be used to run the process for solvent recovery as well as using alternative solvents for carbon capture. 
• Evaluation of the technical feasibility and cost to the CCS value chain, including carbon capture and transport by ship to storage facilities off the west coast of Norway. 
• Research into relevant legal and regulatory aspects of carbon transport and storage across borders and national goals for emissions reductions in Norway and Sweden. 

Two publications are publicly available:

• D5.1 Preem CCS – Synthesis of main project findings and insights
  • Available online in the Chalmers archive: https://research.chalmers.se/publication/528685

• D4.2 Legal and regulatory framework for Swedish/Norwegian CCS cooperation
  • Available online in the SINTEF archive: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2984155