26.01.2023
“I don’t believe that we can just put skilled researchers into a locked room and ask them to create technologies for a fraction of the cost for a full-scale plant that needs to be built.
Kaare Helle has been a member of the CLIMIT Programme Board since 2018. “I’ve been working on CCS for many years at DNV and through this I was able to use the knowledge I had acquired while also satisfying my curiosity in technology that can be used to manage CO2. I have to admit that I don’t always understand all of the content and details of project applications we receive, and in those situations it’s great that I can rely on my experienced and highly skilled colleagues around the table. Over time, the CLIMIT programme has shown itself to be a vital tool for creating technology and solutions that are now being adopted in order to realise ambitious climate goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions from industries,” says Helle.
“In the 17 years I’ve worked at DNV, CCS has been my most important area of work, and I’ve been involved in creating an organisation that provides industry with advice on quality assurance and safety procedures for projects. Just over two years ago I was challenged with leading a newly established investment unit for start-ups, and we are now around half-way towards our goal of having a 20-company strong portfolio. Decarbonisation is also part of our mandate, but my primary focus now is on the work for the board and coaching to help small companies with interesting technologies to succeed in creating a business out of these. I also still get asked for advice about issues related to carbon capture and storage, which has become an important business area for DNV over the last few years.
“If we look back, CCS was, internationally speaking, struggling between 2013 and 2019, and it was just us in Norway who ‘kept the faith’, in no small part due to CLIMIT’s research support. This has helped put Norwegian businesses in a really strong position as technology and service providers for projects aimed at realising capture and storage at full-scale, both at home and abroad. The most important contribution going forward will be to support research into cost-effective climate initiatives that will create an industry that is viable without enormous state intervention in the long term.”
“We need to remember in this context that at a global level there’s still a long way to go in reaching the 20 percent share of total emissions reductions the IPCC and the IEA have assumed can be achieved through carbon capture and storage by 2050. At DNV, we have calculated that planned and currently ongoing projects will only lead to a 4 percent reduction. That said, we believe there will be a significant up-scaling of CCS in the next five years.”
Member of the Programme Board of CLIMIT
Kaare Helle (46) has an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from NTNU and works as the Venture Director at Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is responsible for corporate venture activities. He began at DNV in 2005 and has held many managerial positions, primarily within energy technology and innovation. Between 2015 and 2020, he led the build-up of DNV’s CCS activities. Before he began at DNV, he worked as a consultant at Norsk Sikkerhetsrevisjon.
“I don’t believe that we can just put skilled researchers into a locked room and ask them to create technologies for a fraction of the cost for a full-scale plant that needs to be built. Development must take place close to the experiences gained from these projects, and this must be reflected in CLIMIT’s efforts.” Carbon capture is the biggest driver of costs and this means that the hunt for the next generation of capture technology must be a top priority.”
“As far as I can tell, CLIMIT has struggled due to a relatively low flow of applications. In the wake of the Longship project, so much will depend on us increasing the number of technology developers that have strong, high-quality ideas for innovation and creativity in CCS. We must improve awareness of the CLIMIT programme to draw in a greater number of applications so that we can reject applications that don’t live up to our goals.”
“So as a general reflection, I would add that perhaps the most important thing now is that the apparatus for CCS investments is given mechanisms that will allow for more large projects to be funded in Norway. As long as there is an imbalance between the costs to industry of emitting CO2 and implementing measures that will limit emissions, the state will have to make up the difference. So, our longer-term goal should be to develop technology that makes CCS profitable for businesses.
