Drilling CO2 injection wells

Transocean Enabler. Photo: Transocean

Northern Lights today started a drilling campaign within its CO₂ storage license EL001 in the southern North Sea.

The drilling rig Transocean Enabler will first drill a CO₂ injector well as a sidetrack to the exploration well drilled in 2020. It will subsequently drill a new contingent injection well to be used for injection if the primary well is out of operation for maintenance or other reasons. This contingent well enables back-up injection capacity and will ensure stable and uninterrupted injection of CO₂ for Northern Lights’ customers once operations commence in mid-2024.

The wells are located within Exploitation License 001 in the southern North Sea, approximately 100 kilometers west of Bergen. They will have capacity for injection of 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year into the Johansen Formation, approximately 2,700 meters below sea level. The storage complex has already been confirmed suitable for storage of CO₂. It contains sandstone with good flow properties and the overlying Drake formation shale provides a competent seal. This is important to ensure that the CO₂ will not be able to migrate out of the storage complex and the CO₂ injected into the reservoir will therefore be permanently stored.

The wells are being drilled in line with the Norwegian CO₂ storage regulations. The operations are managed by Equinor on behalf of Northern Lights JV as operator.

Northern Lights will share well data once the drilling campaign has been completed, in line with a vision to stimulate the development of future CO₂ storage projects.