Carbon capture and storage at Kårstø

The Norwegian Government has, since its appointment in 2005, directed much attention towards measures that contribute in the fight against climate change while also addressing the challenges of supplying the world’s energy demand. This is also the background for the Norwegian Government’s commitment to developing and implementing CO2 capture and storage.

In 2006, the Government began planning of a facility for full-scale CO2 capture from Naturkraft’s gas-fired power plant at Kårstø, as well as a solution for transportation and secure storage of CO2. Since then, a significant amount of preparatory work has been done, on all aspects of construction of the full-scale CCS facility.

Naturkraft’s gas-fired power plant at Kårstø was commissioned the 14th of December 2007. It has an annual production capacity of up to 3.5 TWh, with CO2 emissions of approximately 1.2 million tons of CO2 per year at full production without carbon capture and storage. Since it was commissioned, the gas-fired power plant has had an irregular operational pattern. Irregular operation of the power plant in the years to come will limit the environmental benefit of a CO2 capture facility.

Last spring the Norwegian Government therefore decided to halt the procurement process for the assignment of contracts to construct the CO2 capture and storage (CCS) facility at Kårstø, until the gas-fired power plant’s operational pattern becomes clearer or other solutions that ensure regularity of production and emissions of CO2 from the power plant become evident. At the same time, the Government initiated a study to investigate an integration of energy systems between the power plant and the gas processing facility at Kårstø, which may contribute to a reduction of total emissions.

An integration of energy systems at Kårstø involves the usage of electricity and heat from the gas-fired power plant at the gas processing facility, thereby replacing existing gas-fired compressors and boilers. In March this year Gassco and Gassnova submitted the Kårstø Integration Pre-Feasibility Study Report (pdf -14mb). This report will serve as an important input to further work on CCS at Kårstø.

(Updated May 2010)