ISO TC 265 national expert WG3, WG6 and WG7, and chair of the Norwegian ISO TC 265 Mirror Committee, for CCS

Short description:
The project will contribute with deliveries to the ISO project ISO TC265. ISO TC265 is a project under the International Organization for Standardization with the purpose of negotiating, drafting and publishing international standards and technical reports (TR) for CCS and CO₂-EOR. ISO TC265 was launched in 2011, and there are currently 24 countries participating in the negotiations. ISO TC265 consists of six working groups (WG), each covering an element of the value chain; capture, transport, storage, cross-cutting issues, CO₂-EOR, and ship transport of CO₂. The Norwegian mirror committee leads and coordinates the Norwegian experts’ participation in the different working groups. The members of the committee represent a wide range of the Norwegian CCS and CCUS expertise.

The standards and technical reports developed are considered important instruments to facilitate the free flow of goods and services for CCS and CO₂-EOR by reducing technical barriers to trade. The documents developed contribute to reducing the risks and costs of the activities by providing knowledge transfer and standardization of operations, components and processes. Furthermore, the standards and reports will contribute to a common understanding and basis for commercial trading and business models for these important technologies, as well as facilitate safe and efficient implementation of CCS and CO₂-EOR. This will contribute to increased understanding and acceptance of the processes and technologies among decision-makers and the general public.

What was the project objective?
The purpose of the project is to help ensure that the documents initiated under the ISO TC265 project are finalized and published, that new projects are consistent with and build on existing documents, and to support other Norwegian experts in promoting Norwegian interests in the technical committee and the Chairs Advisory Committee (CAG – which consists of the chair of the technical committee and the chair of the national committees). Furthermore, Norwegian considerations and needs, as well as technical requirements, will be considered so that the documents are applicable in Norway.

Contribute to the negotiation and publication of consensus-based ISO documents for CCS and CO₂-EOR of high technical quality through dialogue and good project management. The purpose is to consider the content against legal requirements in Norwegian, European and international frameworks, and contribute to increased dialogue and knowledge sharing within the group so that all stakeholders are heard and their interests are considered when the standards are written. This is crucial for the international use of the standards in both contracts and regulations, which in turn is an important prerequisite for cost reductions, increased efficiency, risk reduction, dissemination and commercialization of these technologies. Refer to the point above.

Contribute with deliveries to ISO TC265 and dissemination. All the elements listed above are of great importance for large-scale implementation of CCS and CO₂-EOR in Norway, Europe and the rest of the world.

What has the project done in terms of activities?
The storage standard (27914), which was published in 2017, has been reopened for revision. IOM Law contributed significantly to this work during the first period of the project. The updated standard is expected to be published in 2025.

Furthermore, the technical report for conversion of CO₂-EOR to storage in WG6 was almost completed autumn 2023. IOM Law participated both in the writing of the report itself and in the editorial work before submission to ISO for publication. Publication is expected in 2024. WG6 has also started discussing a new project in the working group, which will be the reopening of the standard for CO₂-EOR.

The technical report for ship transport of CO₂ was sent out for review (i.e. to receiving comments) in the international committee autumn 2023, after finalization and editing of the draft before the summer. After receiving the comments, WG7 revisited the document for updates, before the editorial committee finalized the work and submitted it to ISO for publication in the first quarter of 2024. It is expected to be published in 2024. IOM Law has participated in the writing and the editorial work.

In H2 2023, IOM Law participated in a mirror committee meeting organized by Standards Norway on 25 May, 24 August and 17 October, as well as several WP meetings from WP3, 6 and 7. WG7 met physically in London 19-21 October. A plenary meeting was held in Regina, Canada, in the first week of June. IOM Law participated physically in these meetings.

In H1 2023, there have been a number of activities related to dissemination of project results, as well as assistance to potential new ISO TC265 countries. This has included presentations at TCCS in Trondheim and at Standard Norway’s 100 year celebration in Oslo, as well as in capacity building workshops organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce for developing countries in Asia.

As part of its participation in WG7 on shipping of CO₂, IOM Law participated in a course organized by the International Foundation for the Law of the Sea. The course was held at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany, and consisted of four weeks of training in maritime law and the law of the sea. The course is available to diplomats, lawyers, PhD students and others with a background in law of the sea or maritime law who wish to further develop their expertise in these areas. The course covered topics such as carriage of goods by sea, contracts, maritime boundaries, liability and compensation for damage, classification societies, ship financing, marine insurance and environmental protection.

What has the project achieved? Did the project achieve its objective?
Completion of technical report for conversion of CO₂-EOR to storage, as well as finalization of technical report for ship transport of CO₂.

Publications:
Playing Nice in the Sandbox: How Coordination and Cooperation with International Neighbors Can Fuel Domestic and Global Deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage by I. Ombudstvedt, L. Wammer Østgaard, and P. Prasad (OGEL, 2023).

Future plans?
The revision of ISO 27914 for geological storage will continue for another year and the revision of 27916 for CO₂-EOR has just started and will take approximately two years. Furthermore, there will be a focus on the adoption of ISO standards in CEN.