Kari-Lise Rørvik (45) took over as Head of Secretariat for the CLIMIT programme on 1 November, replacing Ingrid Sørum Melaaen, who has become Technology Director at Gassnova. Rørvik’s ambition is to help keep Norway in the forefront of international research and development and the use of technologies to capture, transport and store CO₂. 

“But this does not mean that Norway has to be self-sufficient. On the contrary, the continuation of our extensive international cooperation is a prerequisite for our success in combating climate change, with carbon capture and storage as a major policy instrument.”

Seven employees

The CLIMIT programme is a partnership between Gassnova and the Research Council of Norway. The Research Council’s projects are often referred to as CLIMIT R&D, while Gassnova’s contribution is referred to as CLIMIT-Demo. The Secretariat has seven employees, each with a defined responsibility for following up and monitoring the portfolio of research programmes supported by CLIMIT. As Head of Secretariat, Rørvik is responsible for reporting to the Board and for dialogue with the authorities and partners internationally. The activities are managed by a Programme Board with ten members from industry, research institutions and the authorities. The Board carries out an audit of the programme every two years to ensure that the research efforts are up to date in terms of new knowledge and approaches that could provide a basis for developing technology and solutions to meet the needs of society.  

Longship a shining example

“The programme was established in 2005 and is aimed at businesses, research institutions, universities and colleges, often in collaboration with international companies and research bodies, which can help to accelerate the commercialisation of CCS. The most tangible result so far is the Longship project, where research efforts supported by CLIMIT and technology testing at Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) are now enabling industrial-scale capture, transport and storage of CO₂ with outstanding technologies.”

Kari-Lise Rørvik points out that CLIMIT provides support for research into the management of all possible CO₂ sources, not just point emissions in the industry. Within Energi21, the all-encompassing research and innovation strategy for renewable energy and climate-friendly energy technologies, CLIMIT is responsible for the management of CO₂.

Three key areas

The CLIMIT programme plan for technology development covers three key areas: A. Decarbonisation of industry and energy resources; B. Large-scale CO₂ storage on the Norwegian continental shelf; and C. Innovative technology development and solutions.

“Aker Carbon Capture’s development of the solvent to be used to capture CO₂ at Heidelberg Materials’s cement factory in Brevik received support from CLIMIT as early as 2005. The way Aker has succeeded in bringing down costs and reducing risk with its technology is very important to the development of the value chain and to value creation related to CCS. The same is true of Northern Lights, which is the first step on the road to creating the infrastructure that both Norway and Europe will need for safe storage of CO₂, particularly for monitoring stores in different geological formations. But it is also extremely important to support the development of completely new technologies that could help reduce the cost of managing CO₂. In this area, we are collaborating on other parts of the policy apparatus for project financing.”

Here, Rørvik refers to CLIMIT’s collaboration with the Research Council of Norway, Enova, Innovation Norway, Siva and Gassnova on green growth. The aim is to contribute to a quicker path from idea to market for climate-friendly products and services in Norway and around the world.

CCS “breaking through” internationally

After more than six years as a senior adviser on CLIMIT, Kari-Lise Rørvik is now observing significantly greater commitment, both in Europe and in other parts of the world, to making carbon capture and storage part of the climate solution.

“We have worked effectively with several European countries, the USA, Canada and India in ACT (Accelerating CCS Technologies), an initiative that is now being taken further in CETP (Clean Energy Transition) which is part of the Horizon Europe programme. We expect this to lead to even more innovative projects involving Norwegian researchers and technology developers.”

In 2004, Norway signed a bilateral agreement with the USA on research, development and demonstration in the energy field; a collaboration that both TCM and CLIMIT have contributed to and which has led to a number of technology developers coming together across the Atlantic.

Mission Innovation is a global initiative arising out of the Paris Agreement, which works to catalyse action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable and accessible, on the road to a net-zero society. Here, Norway has undertaken to assist in the development of technologies for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), i.e. the capture and safe storage of CO₂ from the atmosphere. The goal is a net reduction of 100 million tonnes of CO₂ globally by 2030. This initiative is dependent on the policy apparatus supporting projects which aim to implement CDR.

Will demand more from the business sector

“Given the ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there will still be a great need for government support for projects to manage CO₂ in the coming years. The authorities also have an important role to play in helping universities and colleges to develop the expertise we need, in the form of world-class researchers. At the same time, it is important for the business sector to take its share of the risk that accompanies the development of new technologies. Good interaction between the business sector and funding providers is the key to continued progress with CCS progress,” she says.

Cost-effective capture of CO₂ from biogas plants and industry

With support from CLIMIT R&D, the technology company CondAlign, in partnership with researchers from SINTEF and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), has developed a membrane technology that will contribute to cost-effective capture of CO₂ from biogas plants and industry.

These new membranes can filter out selected substances and are therefore an energy-efficient way of separating gases, including CO₂. The challenge with the membranes that have been available on the market to date is that their performance is too low and the cost too high for the technology to be commercially viable. Using nanoparticles and electricity, the research team has managed to improve CondAlign’s unique technology in a way that makes it highly relevant for gas separation and CO₂ capture.

Innovative membrane production

An interdisciplinary team, consisting of 15 researchers and product developers from SINTEF, NTNU and CondAlign, has managed to develop a new way of manufacturing polymer membranes. Basically, tiny particles and electric fields have been used to manipulate the position and orientation of nanoparticles in the membrane, proving very beneficial for the separation of gases. Organising the particles into a specific pattern makes the use of nanoparticles more cost-effective and improves the properties of the membrane.

This innovative technology is part of CondAlign’s commitment to developing new applications for CondAlign’s unique technology. The technology was originally the result of basic research at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Oslo. The underlying technology is currently used to align thermally or electrically conductive particles through a 10–100μm thick polymer film – CondAlign’s “through-plane” technology. These polymer films can be produced relatively cost-effectively on an industrial roll-to-roll machine at CondAlign. The innovation has been implemented, among other things, in a new type of ECG electrode, combining 3D electronics and smart labels.

Patenting the process

Back in 2019, CondAlign filed two applications for patents to protect their intellectual property rights, based on the promising results from the unique process achieved in the laboratory. One patent has already been granted in Norway, and a decision on the international application is expected by the end of the year.

“As an innovation project for the industrial sector (IPN), MembrAlign’s focus has been on sustainable value creation and making this new knowledge and the solutions readily available,” says Linn Cecilie Sørvik, Head of Product Development at CondAlign.

“During the four years of research and testing, we met four of the five goals that were originally set for the project. The results have demonstrated Proof of Concept of the ability to align nanoparticles in-plane in a nano-thin polymer film. These are unique, internationally ground-breaking research results.”

In this context, she points out that experiments with the new membrane production method can increase CO₂ transport by an average of 34% without affecting the CO₂/N₂ selectivity.

More flexible – less energy-intensive

Used in the capture of CO₂, this technology can provide solutions that are more flexible and less energy-intensive than, for example, the current amine technology. Put simply, the nanoparticles are organised to influence how CO₂ from flue gas is transported through the membrane. The position and orientation of the nanoparticles create an efficient filter that ensures that the gas to be separated out passes through the membrane quickly, while the other gases meet more resistance. The method involves exposing the membrane to a powerful electric field, which makes the alignment (i.e. arrangement of the particles into the special filter pattern) possible. It is this process that forms the basis of CondAlign’s patent applications.

Ideal for small-scale installations

“The knowledge gained from the Climit project is important for ongoing product development and is also part of CondAlign’s technology roadmap. The innovation provides a good basis for future production of membranes using the technology we have developed for gas separation.  These membranes are ideal for use in small-scale installations in industry, agriculture, waste facilities and biorefineries. Polymer membranes are attractive because they have a smaller footprint and do not require the use of harmful chemicals,” Sørvik points out.

Excellent results

The MembrAlign project has focused on removing CO₂ from flue gas, but the technology may also be relevant in pre-combustion, or removal of CO₂ from natural gas, or biogas.

“The MembrAlign project has been a success because, by combining expertise from different research environments and working in a structured way towards common goals, we have managed to achieve excellent results,” says Åse Slagtern, special advisor at CLIMIT R&D. “We are convinced that the technology developed in this project will be important in the work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Facts about the MembrAlign project:

Membranes with Aligned nanostructures for CO₂ separation – the Research Council of Norway’s project bank (forskningsradet.no)

The project was carried out in the period 2018–2021 with a total budget of NOK 11.2 million, of which NOK 7.7 million was support from the Research Council of Norway’s CLIMIT programme. The project brought together complementary expertise from three separate environments:

• CondAlign: Expertise in in-plane alignment of particles, production of functional polymer film and commercialisation. Development of production technology for polymer films with advanced functionalities.
• SINTEF Industry: Expertise in membrane characterisation, functionalisation of nanoparticles, testing of gas separation under relevant conditions, and modelling of electric fields.
• Department of Chemical Engineering, NTNU: Expertise in membrane production, membrane characterisation and polymer materials.

Our research into attitudes towards carbon capture and storage in Norway and Germany has found that the public and private sector in both countries have some way to go in informing people about CCS and persuading them that it is a necessary measure in order to achieve climate goals.’

So says Gisle Andersen, Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE). He led the research project ‘Public Perceptions of Carbon Capture and Storage (PERCCSEPTIONS)’ which recently published its findings with support from the CLIMIT programme.

Better to store CO₂ offshore

One hypothesis was that the storing captured CO₂ offshore would meet less public opposition than storing it onshore. This hypothesis was based on, among other things, fewer concerns around leaks and other environmental issues as a result of storage in reservoirs beneath the seabed. However, prior to PERCCSEPTIONS (which was carried out over the years 2019 – 2022), little research had been done to verify this.

 

‘The analysis of the surveys on attitude we have carried out indicates that this hypothesis is correct. The jointly-adopted strategy of the Norwegian authorities and industry for their Longship and Northern Lights projects thus seems to have less potential for resistance and conflicts than would have been the case for onshore CO₂ storage facilities,’ says Andersen.

The Germans know little about CCS

But – and there’s a big but – the research found that knowledge about what CCS entails remains relatively low, especially among the German population. While 70 per cent of Norwegian respondents stated that they have heard of ‘carbon capture and storage’, this was only true for around 35 per cent of Germans. Among those who had heard about CCS, a significant majority in Norway were positive about the technology, while this proportion is lower in Germany.

Norway’s Equinor and Germany’s Wintershall Dea recently announced that they will work together to develop a comprehensive value chain for carbon capture and storage, linking CO₂ emitting companies on the continent with storage facilities on the Norwegian continental shelf. ‘This and similar agreements in the future will raise the visibility of CCS and naturally increase people’s interest in it as a phenomenon and climate measure, making it easier to disseminate information about the role this technology has to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,’ Andersen maintains.

Scepticism about CO₂ imports in Norway

‘The authorities and industry in both countries have work to do in explaining how the capture of CO₂ should take place and where it should be stored without negative environmental consequences. Although the level of knowledge and acceptance of CCS is significantly higher in Norway than in Germany, there is considerable scepticism towards the import of CO₂ from other countries. This has been factored into investment decisions and is an important aspect of Northern Lights, with its reception facilities in Øygarden and storage under the North Sea. This implies therefore a need for more and better information to be disseminated to the population about why and how Norway is aiming to become a CCS leader as part of the green transition. It is essential that we provide good and clear information about what happens to CO₂ when stored in geological formations, and about the probability and consequences of leaks both during transport and storage,’ says Gisle Andersen.

He adds that it is particularly important to provide information about plans to establish European infrastructure for the transport and storage of CO₂, and why such cooperation is necessary. It is worth highlighting that this technology is the only known option for removing emissions from some types of process industry, from cement production and from waste incineration. In Germany, it is important to start a public conversation about CCS to clarify that its purpose is not to enable the continued use of coal-fired power plants, but to allow for continued cement production and the use of waste incineration plants.

Better knowledge about pros and cons

The research project used open-ended responses to assess how different reasoning leads to acceptance or opposition to CCS. The Norwegian Citizen Panel and corresponding German panels were used to ensure the data gathered about people’s opinions in different scenarios was of high quality. The project has thus contributed to new knowledge about the driving forces behind acceptance of and resistance to large-scale implementation of CCS technology, as well as international transport of CO₂.

Analyses of open-ended responses show that there are different themes associated with support of and scepticism towards the technology. Respondents who are sceptical raised the danger of leaks from storage, costs, and that the technology might ultimately prevent necessary societal changes. In addition, some express concern about risks and emissions linked to catching and transport.

Respondents who are positive about the technology emphasise rapid cuts to emissions, jobs for Norway, technology exports and expediting the green transition in the oil sector. Analysis also shows that many of those who are positive about CCS set conditions for their assessment. The factors mentioned are essentially the same as those mentioned by those who are not positive by the technology. ‘This is interesting because it shows which dimensions are particularly important when this technology is assessed by most people, and here the overall environmental consequences for climate and the environment seem to be decisive,’ says Senior Researcher Gisle Andersen.

The research project PERCCSEPTIONS received funding worth NOK 4.6 million from the Research Council of Norway’s CLIMIT programme.

 

Protonic Membrane Reformer (PMR) technology extracts hydrogen from natural gas with superior energy efficiency and integrates CO₂ capture into the process.

Tested in a pilot

This project is a continuation of CLIMIT-backed project 618191 – ‘PROTONIC Phase I’ – with the main objective of phase II being to scale up the technology through pilot testing.

Project activities focused on three work packages:

• Performance and lifetime testing of membrane modules;
• Engineering, building and testing of pilot;

• Multiphysics and techno-economic modelling and assessment of technology and manufacturing maturity.

The result of the project confirm high performance in terms of producing high purity hydrogen and pressurised CO₂ ready for direct liquification. Lifetime testing of membrane modules reached 3,100 hours, and the project has developed and manufactured two pilot installations, each offering a capacity of 2 kg hydrogen per day. These were installed on site with SINTEF and an energy company respectively, where these installations underwent testing

Dissemination of results

Calculation models and techno-economic assessments have been disseminated together with the laboratory test results through an article published in Science titled ‘Single-step hydrogen production from NH₃, CH₄, and biogas in stacked proton ceramic reactors’ which was published in April 2022. The article has garnered attention in both Norwegian and international media, and has been the subject of widespread discussion on blogs and social media platforms.  This response can be tracked online via https://science.altmetric.com/details/127097079.

• Hydrogen production and carbon capture – in a single step, Norwegianscitechnews.com, https://norwegianscitechnews.com/2022/07/hydrogen-production-and-carbon-capture-in-a-single-step/
• Dette røret kan være et stort skritt fremover for blått hydrogen [This pipeline may be a major step forward for blue hydrogen], Titan.uni.no (in Norwegian). https://titan.uio.no/kjemi/2022/dette-roret-kan-vaere-et-stort-skritt-fremover-blatt-hydrogen
• Clark et al, Single-step hydrogen production from NH3, CH4, and biogas in stacked proton ceramic reactors, Science (2022). 
• Malerød-Fjeld et al, Thermo-electrochemical production of compressed hydrogen from methane with near-zero energy loss, Nature Energy (2017). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-017-0029-4
• Project page for PROTONIC phase II: https://climit.no/prosjekt/conversion-of-natural-gas-to-hydrogen-and-compressed-co2-using-protonic-membrane-reformer-technology-protonic-phase-ii/
• Project page for PROTONIC phase I: https://climit.no/project/protonic-membrane-reformer-technology-for-conversion-of-natural-gas-to-hydrogen-and-co2/

Says Anne Cathrine Syversen from Powered by Telemark, an industrial and technology cluster. She is also the project manager of Grenland Industrial CO₂ Capture and Storage’s (GICCS). The research project was launched in November last year and will run until 2024. It has a budget of NOK 11.4 million, with half of its funding coming from the process industry and the other half from the CLIMIT programme. The starting point for this was the cluster’s roadmap, which identified 25 projects that will contribute to making Grenland the world’s first climate-positive industrial region.

This is a formidable task as the process industry in Grenland, with its 2.4 million tonnes annually, accounts for appr. 20 per cent of the Norwegian industry’s CO₂ emissions. When the capture plant associated with the Longship project at Heidelberg Materials’s factory in Brevik is commissioned in two years’ time, emissions will be reduced by around 400,000 tonnes a year. About 800,000 tonnes will be cut thanks to the recalibration of Yara’s fertiliser production process to incorporate green power as part of the HEGRA project.

Joint solutions to get rid of all climate emissions

– GICCS is focused on investigating and calculating how to annually eliminate appr. 1.2 million tonnes of emissions from the process industry in the region. This will be achieved through a joint investment and shared solutions that will limit costs incurred by individual companies, says Syversen.

SINTEF Industry in Porsgrunn is responsible for coordinating the different work packages. They are working in partnerships with researchers at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Kristian Aas at SINTEF Industry is the coordinator for all project activities and says that the cooperation with companies to collect data has been good.

Will use available waste heat

– In the first phase, we identified how much of the waste heat generated by the process industry can be redirected for the operation of facilities for capturing CO2. This is essential to keep energy costs as low as possible. In the next phase, we will explore whether there is also waste heat from other nearby industrial stakeholders available and consider the use of high-temperature heat pumps. Some electrical power will be needed to operate the facilities with compressors and other equipment, and we will quantify this need, says Kristian Aas

Extensive research required

Grenland is Norway’s largest industrial region, supporting around 6,000 jobs in the area. The biggest emitters are Ineos Rafnes, Inovyn Norway, ERAMET Porsgrunn and Heidelberg Materials (with total emissions of approximately 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ that are not planned captured in the Longship plant). The idea is that an absorber for CO₂ containing flue gases will be established at each of the companies. This will be connected by a pipeline leading to a standard ‘stripper’ where greenhouse gases will be separated in a capture process based on amines. This is the most mature of the technologies for capturing CO₂. The captured substances will then be stored in liquid form and transported from a shared warehouse to a reservoir.

– In this respect, the location of businesses in relation to the fjord will play a role in determining whether one or more capture facilities should be established. We will also have to assess whether it is appropriate to use alternative technologies for capturing CO₂ that require less heat based on the flue gases present. But if we find that amine technology is the preferred option, then we need to find out how high a temperature this solvent can have in the planned pipeline, says Aas.

Draws on strong and broad expertise

To provide solutions to these and many other technical challenges, researchers are drawing on expertise from throughout SINTEF. Nippon Gases, a world-leading company in the field of CO₂ handling, is also involved. Bluegreen is contributing expertise in thermoplastics, while Pipelife, who manufacture systems for plastic pipes, are also on board. Bouvet will assess sensors and IT solutions.

Another important partner is Herøya Industrial Park, which is the intended host site for these joint solutions. The project has also engaged Norsk e-fuel and Nordic Electrofuel to investigate the possibility of utilisation of CO₂ in the region.

A project with significant transfer value

– The project is divided into five work packages and a total of 29 interim reports are planned before the delivery of a final report in two years’ time. This will ensure that participants have plenty of opportunities to provide their input and views before the final summary of recommendations for the construction and operation of facilities is submitted, Anne Cathrine Syversen adds.

SINTEF has also created a separate website for the project which will be updated on an ongoing basis with assessments and results as research progresses.

– Disseminating knowledge during the project is important because we believe that what we arrive at in terms of recommended solutions in Grenland will also be of use to other industrial regions facing the same challenges as we do, both in Norway and in Europe. It is about being able to maintain production and employment in the process industry, and thus the welfare of people and countries, without harming the climate and environment. Without the funding and support offered by industrial companies and CLIMIT, we would not have been able to carry out such extensive and thorough research. We are very grateful that Gassnova, thanks to its presence in Porsgrunn, has been and remains an enthusiastic promoter of the project. We feel a sense of duty, and we will deliver, promises Anne Cathrine Syversen.

CLIMIT has provided NOK 8 million in support to CAPEWASTE

The CLIMIT programme is working to adapt to an ever-changing world and support for the waste management industry is one of the new industries seeing more and more applications for support. This is a huge industry with facilities that will have to make both minor and major changes in order to implement CCS. At the EGE Oslo Kommune plant at Haraldrud, there was a need to see what changes had to made for carbon capture to become a reality at the plant for when it undergoes redevelopment in 2030.

The CLIMIT project “CAPEWASTE” has studied the challenges associated with capture technology based on oxy-fuel combustion which uses oxygen instead of air in the waste incineration process. The flue gas from this process is composed entirely of CO₂ and steam, something which makes it easy to separate the CO₂ simply through the condensation of water. It is an amazingly innovative solution, and no plant like this has ever been built before.

Carbon capture in the energy recovery sector

Carbon capture from the waste sector is an industrial initiative that addresses these challenges with the added potential for being carbon negative. Implementation of CCS at the new Haraldrud plant has been boosted by the positive results from the full-scale CCS feasibility study carried out by Gassnova, as well the infrastructure to transport the CO₂ to the Port of Oslo and then to the offshore storage sites in the Smeaheia area, which is set to be operational by 2024.

R&D partner SINTEF Energi carried out an experimental study of how to efficiently burn household waste in an oxy-fuel combustion atmosphere and then how to scale up the technology through the help of numerical simulation. Through close international collaboration with partners at an associated project (NuCA) in Germany, the technology has been further tested at pilot scale. The results have been exchanged across borders.

• “It’s really fantastic that we built this partnership with Germany, which has been a key CCS partner in Europe also through, the ACT project NEWEST-CCUS, which began in 2019,” says CLIMIT special advisor Åse Slagtern. “This also highlights the significance of this CLIMIT project could have for the waste management industry all over the world. Opportunities are there.”

Decisions based on research experience

After the end of three years of research, the project has resulted in increased expertise for all project partners in what is an immature capture technology. For the owner of the plant, the project provides a good foundation for making evidence-based decisions about the opportunities and potential for using oxy-fuel capture technology at the future Waste-to-Energy plant at Haraldrud.

The CLIMIT programme wants to be a part of the green transition, and in the Research Council of Norway’s call for project proposals in spring 2022, carbon capture and storage was one of several priority areas. There were a total of 23 applications in the area of carbon capture, transport and storage applying for a combined NOK 228 million in support from the Research Council of Norway.

A tough competition

At CLIMIT’s programme board meeting on 21 June 2022, six applications were selected with a total of NOK 60 million in support. There was tough competition for funding, and only one in four applications received support. Many great applications unfortunately had to be rejected because there were not sufficient funds to support all good applications.

Applications were reviewed according normal Research Council of Norway procedures, and external experts played a key role in assessing the quality of each application. CLIMIT’s programme board has the final say on which are the best applications to support.

The new projects

The six new projects will be displayed in the Research Council of Norway’s project bank as soon as contracts are signed. This is expected to take place in autumn 2022. A short description of the new projects is provided below.

Project number	Project title	Project owner
36222	Advanced energy recovery and CO2 capture systems for a decarbonised ferroalloy industry	SINTEF Energy
336266	Data and models to optimize maritime CO2 transport and offshore injection	SINTEF Energy
336294	Expansion of Resources for CO2 Storage on the Horda Platform	NORCE
336355	Primary Flow Reference for CCS	SINTEF Energy
336357	Future Drinking Water Levels of Nitrosamines and Nitramines near a CO2 Capture Plant	NIVA
336939	Advancing LedaFlow for robust and accurate multiphase flow simulations to enable transport and injection of CO2	LedaFlow Technologies DA

 

The Research Council of Norway has high expectations for the new projects. Results from the projects will be important for building carbon capture, transport and storage at a large scale. The projects may result in cost reductions, a key factor if carbon capture and storage is to be a central part of the green transition. The new projects will also be useful in the benefits realisation that politicians are preparing for in relation to Longship, the Norwegian full-scale CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) project.

One group, for example, is examining how exporting CO₂ to other countries impacts support for CCS and which factors impact public perceptions of CCS projects during construction/planning.

How society responds to CCS

There are three different projects, but what they all have in common is that they look at how society responds to CCS. What is needed in Europe for acceptance of CCS and the market adaptations needed for the roll out of production of blue hydrogen. “We look forward to presenting the results from these three exciting projects,” says Åse Slagtern, special advisor at CLIMIT R&D who promises that we will hear more from these projects in the future.

The three projects

 

Developing value chains for CO₂ storage and blue hydrogen in Europe

• The Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research
• NOK 5.2 million

In order to develop markets for carbon storage and hydrogen, an age-old problem needs to solved: A blue hydrogen producer is not willing to invest in facilities before it has good reason to believe that a carbon storage site is under development. At the same time, an operator considering building a carbon storage facility is unlikely to want to invest before it is reasonably sure that it will get customers.

This project will analyse the development of value chains for carbon storage and hydrogen in Europe. The most important aspects of the project are:

• Assessing the demand for carbon storage, particularly the social acceptance and economic factors for demand for storage services
• Studying the competition between carbon storage in Europe when important factors such as economies of scale and industrial learning are taken into consideration
• Developing business models that ensure an efficient distribution of risk between private and public stakeholders
• Studying the competition between blue and green hydrogen and the competition between conventional energy, CCS-based energy, and renewable energy, and discussing the design of instruments to ensure the socioeconomically favourable development of a value chain for carbon storage and hydrogen
• Assessing how the Norwegian Northern Lights project can change market structures.

As a part of the project one PhD and one postdoctoral will be recruited.

 

Does the nationality of CO₂ matter? Public perceptions of a Northern European market for CO₂ storage (CCSMARKET)

• NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS
• NOK 5.2 million

CCSMARKET analyses what people in Norway, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom think about carbon capture and storage (CCS).  A lack of public support, particularly relating to land-based underground storage, has previously been a barrier to establishing CCS in Europe.

Through this project, they hope to discover how exporting CO₂ to other countries impacts support for CCS in the exporting nations and how this affects support for CCS in importing nations. NORCE will use comparative surveys to investigate this. The purpose of this is to identify and quantify factors that impact public perceptions of CCS projects during construction/planning. The aim is to improve understanding of mechanisms that impact attitudes towards CCS.

 

Socio-technical drivers, opportunities, and challenges for large-scale CCUS

• SINTEF AS
• NOK 10, 7 million

This project is based on the multidisciplinary sustainability transitions research field and hopes to understand the innovation processes around the establishment of CCS. The project will analyse innovation linked to the entire value chain for CCS and CCU (carbon capture and utilisation) and will look at how strategies and business models for key industrial operators and regional industrial transformation processes contribute to the development of CCUS and vice versa.

CaptureX focuses on the importance of legitimisation processes (including acceptance) and policy developments for the development and spread of CCUS.

The CaptureX project is being carried out by a leading group of social science energy researchers in Norway (SINTEF Digital, NTNU KULT, UiO TIK) and Sweden (Chalmers) and involves CCS experts from SINTEF Energy.

As a part of the project two postdoctorals will be recruited.

Global aviation issues and Covid infections meant that many were unable to attend. It still managed three successful days through a hybrid solution.

Three CSLF projects

The Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum Technical Group, CSLF PIRT (Project Interaction and Review Team) had received applications from three projects that wanted to be recognised as CSLF projects. These were:

• CO₂Ment from Canada
• Northern Lights from Norway
• Porthos from the Netherlands

The criteria for being recognised as a CSLF project include the project bringing something new to the implementation of carbon capture and storage. All these new projects do, and all three were recognised. These projects will bring lots of new knowledge that will benefit both countries and stakeholders going forwards.

Awards were handed out during the meeting to three CSLF projects that have contributed significantly to the implementation of CCS so far:

• Technology Center Mongstad (TCM) which was CSLF-recognised in London in 2009
• Boundary Dam which was CSLF-recognised in Beijing in 2011
• Tomakomai which was CSLF-recognised in Tokyo in 2016

Two panel discussions were held later in the meeting. The first was led by Bruno Gerrits from Global CCSI and primarily focused on transfer of experience from large-scale pilot projects. Boundary Dam, Tomakomai, Northern Lights, the Heidelberg Materials project and Alberta Carbon Trunk Line had representatives. An important takeaway was the significance of projects being open and reporting on issues that arose and how they were resolved.

The second panel discussion was led by Tim Dixon from IEAGHG and focused on how research and testing infrastructure could contribute to standardisation and scale-up. The International Test Center Network, TCM, CO₂Geonet, Otway Research Facility and ECCSEL took part in the discussion. The discussion pointed to the significance of this sort of infrastructure in reducing the risk associated with scale-up and in contributing to standardisation. All participants underlined the challenges in getting funding for infrastructure and operations.

CEMCCUS Initiative, Mission Innovation CDR and the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) also provided brief updates. All of these initiatives have good synergy with CSLF.

All presentations at the meeting will be made available on the CSLF website

A CDR workshop was held on 28 June

The workshop provided an overview of the policy framework for CDR from the IPCC, the United State’s CDR efforts and the status of Mission Innovation CDR. Furthermore, an introduction to CDR technologies was given with more details on DAC (Direct Air Capture), mineralisation and BECCS (Bioenergy with CCS). Afterwards, several technology suppliers and users spoke about their technologies, before rounding off with a panel discussion on CDR and what the right way to register carbon removal might be. The importance of life-cycle assessments at a system level was brought up. The meeting closed with group work to identify barriers and drivers for CDR.

The IEAGHG will publish a report that summarises the key points from the workshop.

Furthermore, presentations from the CDR workshop will also be made available on the CSLF website 2022 Technical Group Mid-Year Meeting | CSLForum.

Participants were also able to visit Northern Lights on 29 June.

International synergies

As soon as we return from the summer break, we will start planning next year’s CLIMIT SUMMIT. We hope to see you there, so be sure to save the date in your calendar: 7-9 February. CLIMIT’s programming committee agreed at its meeting in June to organise a summit in 2023, and the secretariat has been tasked with planning this event which will take place over two days from midday to midday.

In 2023 this will take place at the Bølgen Cultural Centre in Larvik. The 2023 edition of the event will focus on the realisation of gains and experiences around the interface of project Longship with ACT, CETP, Mission Innovation, IEAGHG, and CSLF. This will allow us to create positive synergies between a range of CLIMIT projects and international activities. Naturally, CLIMIT’s project portfolio will also be showcased as a key element of the summit. We look forward to seeing you all in Larvik in February 2023.

Please feel free to get in touch with us and our project manager Liv Lønne Dille if you are thinking about tying an event into the wider summit.

For more information