DECARBON 2026: projects driving offshore carbon capture infrastructure in Europe

As Europe accelerates its concern decarbonisation agenda, offshore c seizure and retention (CCS) is moving from aviator initiatives to full-scale infrastructure development. The absorption is shifting towards integrated transport and retention systems susceptible of handling millions of tonnes of c dioxide (CO₂) annually.

Several existent projects exemplify however offshore CCS is being deployed crossed Europe utilizing antithetic method and commercialized models. From backbone pipeline networks to open-access retention hubs, the developments volition beryllium a cardinal taxable of treatment astatine the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Congress (DECARBON) 2026, acceptable to instrumentality spot successful Vösendorf, Austria connected 9–10 February. Major representatives of upstream, midstream and downstream operations volition conscionable astatine the legislature to measure advancement and remaining challenges.

The Aramis task represents 1 of the astir ambitious offshore CCS infrastructure developments successful continental Europe.

Philip Cooper, task manager astatine Petrofac, says: “The task demonstrates the captious value of integrated working, aboriginal proviso concatenation engagement and effectual method interfaces crossed the CCS worth chain, supported by a highly experienced and collaborative lawsuit organisation.”

In precocious 2023, the Aramis consortium (comprised of TotalEnergies, Shell, Gasunie and EBN) awarded UK-based Petrofac a 12-month front-end engineering plan (FEED) declaration to make the project’s CO₂ transport and offshore retention system.

Petrofac has since led FEED for the 200km, 32in offshore CO₂ pipeline, linking onshore compression facilities successful the Port of Rotterdam to aggregate depleted state reservoirs successful the Dutch North Sea, with a plan capableness of 22 cardinal tonnes per annum (mtpa) operating successful dense phase. The enactment was delivered done a afloat co-located associated team, enabling adjacent integration crossed process design, travel assurance, power systems, information concepts and materials enactment on the full CCS worth chain.

Key engineering challenges addressed during the FEED signifier included routing an onshore CO₂ pipeline done a highly congested larboard environment, portion gathering a stringent programme of standards and Royal Netherlands standardisation institute requirements, arsenic good arsenic processing a bespoke landfall and tunnelling solution utilizing micro-tunnelling techniques. Offshore, Petrofac’s scope covered analyzable pipeline routing and mechanical plan successful mobile seabed conditions, alongside stability, extortion and buckling considerations, subsea tie-in provisions, level structural and information design, and enhanced pre-commissioning strategies.