The Danish Energy Agency gave permission for Greensand’s pilot project. The project includes the injection and storage of up to 15,000 tonnes of CO2 in the former Nini West oil field over a four-month period.
The permit marks an important Danish milestone, as it is the first time permission has been granted for the injection and storage of CO2 in the Danish underground.
More specifically, the Danish Energy Agency granted permission for INEOS E&P and Wintershall Dea to begin a time- and quantity-limited injection of CO2 into the Danish underground in connection with the Greensand Pilot Injection Project.
The Danish Energy Agency’s decision has been made on the basis of an overall assessment of the project’s environmental impacts, the applicant’s technical capacity for safe execution of the project and the applicant’s knowledge of the subsoil as well as the monitoring plan.
Earlier, on 30 August 2022, INEOS E&P and Wintershall Dea applied to the Danish Energy Agency for a permit for geological storage of CO2 in order to test, develop and demonstrate that CO2 can be stored in the former Nini West oil field in the North Sea.
This is the first time permission has been granted for a CO 2 storage project in Denmark. Greensand’s pilot project is therefore an important step in relation to developing the methods and technology for cost-effective and environmentally and safety-responsible CO2 storage in Denmark
said Henrik Sulsbrück, Head of Office at the Energy Agency.
The permit allows up to 15,000 tonnes of CO 2 to be injected in Project Greensand’s pilot phase. The permit is valid for a period of four months and expires on 1 April 2023.
Project Greensand’s pilot phase involves pumping CO2 into a sandstone reservoir about 1800 m below sea level. The sandstone reservoir lies under a series of shale layers that act as a lid, so here the CO 2 will be trapped in the porous sandstone cavities.
As part of the Danish Energy Agency’s processing of the application, a materiality assessment has been carried out as to whether the pilot project, including sailing, well work and injection, will cause significant negative impacts on the surrounding environment.
It is the Danish Energy Agency’s assessment that the applicant has provided sufficient documentation that the project will not cause significant negative impacts on protected areas, protected species and their habitats.
