“We must pave the way for the technologies of the future”

Sveinung Hagen became a member of the Programme Committee in 2016. “The most interesting part is the discussions we have when we need to recommend profiles and directions to Gassnova, the Research Council of Norway and Norwegian authorities for projects that need CLIMIT support. I think the key to the success of CCS going forward is the commercialisation and standardisation of solutions that industries think it is in their interests to adopt, and therefore research communities must be motivated to develop useful technology for both major and minor capture projects alike. I’ve found that there is a great deal of agreement in the Programme Committee on this.”

To illustrate this point, he points out that the development of CCS technology at Heidelberg Materials’s cement factory in Brevik is the project that has received the most support from CLIMIT. “It’s technically demanding, and the contributions from CLIMIT have been vital for the realisation of the project,” he explains. 

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

“Over the last 15 years, CCS has been my focus at Equinor. It all started back in 1996 when the company began capturing and injecting CO2 in connection with gas production in the Sleipner gas field with exceptionally good results and with a hope of making CCS a commercially viable focus area. My role was to lead geological research and exploration until I became an advisor for the unit working on developing a storage market two years ago. Last year, Equinor announced its ambition to store 15-30 million tons of CO₂ per year before 2035, primarily in the North Sea basin.”

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

“CLIMIT’s role is to facilitate the adoption technologies for the realisation of carbon capture and storage at full-scale and for more efficient future solutions.” Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the IEA have been clear that we cannot achieve our climate goals without decarbonising industry and energy production and adopting CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) technologies. But if we are to succeed, we need far more intensive research and development of new technology, which is where CLIMIT comes in.”

“From my point of view, CLIMIT has a key role in supporting CCS research from a societal perspective. We need to know more about public attitudes towards CCS as a phenomenon and a part of the fight against climate change, as well as about employment and value creation opportunities. With this knowledge available, it will be easier to prevent any conflicts around these projects and to improve the regulatory framework for the safety of carbon storage in geological formations, for example.”

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

“CLIMIT must continue to push research and development of technologies that reduce the costs of CCS. I also think it’s important for researchers to thoroughly examine how a growing CCS industry can make use of infrastructure left behind by oil and gas industries. This is also necessary to build trust in the technology, and research communities play an important role here as independent operators.

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

“Loads of great things have happened in the last few years when it comes to CCS. But it’s important to stress that we still have some way to go in terms of the capture, transport and storage of industry emissions and in developing technologies that will remove CO₂ and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. That’s to say, we need to keep focussing on research and innovation that will provide us with new CCS tools both nationally and through international partnerships, particularly with the EU. I also think we need projects that examine societal issues, including business models that are important for politicians, authorities and the general public.”