“I eat and drink CCS”

So all-consuming has this interest become that Halland, who recently left her position as project manager at the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, jokes that she eats and drinks CCS.

CLIMIT has made a big contribution to this

Eva Halland has been a member and deputy chair of the Programme Board of CLIMIT since 2013, which makes her the longest-serving representative around the table.

“The most interesting thing about this position has been to be able to follow good ideas from research through to demo phases, and see them end up as important elements in the Longship CCS project. All of this major investment in capture, transport and storage of CO₂ has its origins in the work that has been done over many years in R&D groups and prominent technology companies. It is very exciting and a lot of fun.”

“I am also very grateful for what the Board work has given me in terms of understanding and insight into the varied efforts of both technology developers and supplier companies to turn CCS into a complete value chain. The huge advance in knowledge and technology that has taken place in this area in recent years is very impressive, and I believe CLIMIT has made a big contribution to this.”

How do you encounter CCS in your day-to-day work?

“I eat and drink CCS,” she replies with a laugh, and gives an example:

“In the work I headed up in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate to establish a CO₂ storage atlas for the Norwegian continental shelf and a Norwegian regulatory framework and framework for transport and storage of CO₂, it was incredibly reassuring to be able to contact centres of expertise and obtain informative and knowledgeable answers to all the big questions relating to provisions for handling risk, safety and the environment. It also gives me confidence in my role as a consultant to be able to draw on the strong knowledge environments we have in this country when I get enquiries from within Norway and abroad related to transport and storage. Our many talented technology developers make me very proud.”  

What do you think is CLIMIT’s most important contribution to the green transformation?

“It is to show that carbon capture and storage is actually possible, and can be done efficiently and safely. CLIMIT needs to help raise awareness both in Norway and in the international community that CCS is a necessary part of our work to achieve the climate goals. ‘Build more wind turbines instead,’ some say, but they need to understand that both industry and fossil energy sources have to be decarbonised to take us through a green transformation in the way we look after our shared planet.”

What should CLIMIT prioritise in terms of technology development in the future – where are the gaps?

“The challenge for us managing the CLIMIT programme is to keep two ideas in our heads at the same time. In the short term, it is important to support technology development which will enable us to quickly obtain new licenses for storing CO₂. This calls for more experience with the models that are now being established, so future projects can be even more efficient in terms of both costs and risk management. In the slightly longer term, it is important for us to contribute to completely new CCS solutions; solutions that few people have even thought of yet. That means cultivating innovation and creativity with at least as much intensity as CLIMIT has shown so far.”

What needs do you see for the CLIMIT programme over the next five years?

“CLIMIT needs to play a role in ensuring that we have technologies that are effective and safe enough for the CCS projects that are now emerging both in Norway and abroad up to 2030. We must help to ensure that our centres of expertise engage in international cooperation. I am convinced that the interplay between researchers and technologists with different approaches and mindsets produces the most innovative and best solutions.”