CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE

Breakthrough guideline to boost

Carbon Capture and Storage
DNV and the energy industry, with valuable contribution from government agencies,
have developed the world’s most comprehensive guideline for safe and sustainable
geological storage of CO2. This unified procedural framework is intended for global
use, supporting both industry and regulators, and is a breakthrough that should
speed up the large scale deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
TEXT: SVEIN INGE LEIRGULEN

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A new unified procedural framework will accelerate the implementation of carbon capture and storage.

Deployment of CCS has been hampered
by a lack of tailored regulatory frameworks
and established industry practices. This
was the key motivation for developing the
CO2QUALSTORE Guideline for Selec-
tion, Characterisation and Qualification of
Sites and Projects for Geological Storage
of CO2.
The guideline provides a comprehen-
sive and systematic process that covers
the full lifecycle of a CO2 storage project,
from screening and site selection to
closure and transfer of responsibility from
the operator back to the national state,
taking into account the unique charac-
teristics of each potential site. The aim is
to accelerate the implementation of CCS
by providing a common, predictable and
transparent basis for decision-making
between project developers, operators and
regulators.
Project developers will benefit from
a procedural framework to select and
manage sites, delivering consistency and
efficiency based on best engineering
practice and technology. Regulators can
use the guideline to verify that sites have
been selected and assessed as suitable
for geological storage of CO2, following
a standardized and globally recognised
procedure.
Verified implementation of CCS
projects in compliance with this guideline
should also help provide assurance to the
general public that a storage site is select-
ed based on a recognized process, will be

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safely and responsibly managed according
to recommended practices for sustainable
CO2 storage, and is in compliance with
regulations, codes and standards.
According to project manager, Jørg
Aarnes at DNV: “The lack of tailored
regulatory frameworks for CO2 geologi-
cal storage has threatened to delay large
scale adoption of CCS. In addition to
providing increased predictability for
operators, the guideline will help gov-
ernments to implement internationally
harmonised regulatory frameworks for
geological storage of CO2. We therefore
believe the CO2QUALSTORE guideline is
a real breakthrough moment for CCS and
should provide a step-change in the pace
of CCS deployment.”
Jørg Aarnes further emphasises that
“while CCS alone will not solve the climate
change challenge, it is a necessary part of
the global mitigation strategy. The world’s
energy demand cannot be met in the
short term without continued use of fossil
CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE
THE CO2QUALSTORE JOINT INDUSTRY
PARTNERSHIP
Members of the JIP are: Arup, BG Group, BP
Alternative Energy, Det Norske Veritas (DNV),
DONG Energy, Gassco, IEA GHG R&D Programme,
Petrobras, RWE Dea, Schlumberger, Shell, Statoil,
and Vattenfall.
The project was partially funded by the Research
Council of Norway through the CLIMIT programme
and was co-ordinated by DNV. A number of
government agencies have also given valuable
input to the development.
fuels. CCS is the only mature technology
that may provide significant reduction of
CO2 emissions from combustion of fossil
fuels, and is therefore a key bridging tech-
nology to a renewable energy future.”
Leading engineering, oil & gas com-
panies and government bodies were
brought together by DNV to develop the
CO2QUALSTORE guideline 18 months
ago. The procedural framework that was
developed mirrors best practices within
the oil & gas industry, reflects existing
and emerging regulations, standards and
directives relevant for geological storage
of CO2, and draws on learnings from R&D
and pilot CCS projects around the world.
With the world of CCS developing rap-
idly, the CO2QUALSTORE guideline will
be updated periodically to keep pace of
changes.
Full copies of the guideline are avail-
able from www.dnv.com/co2qualstore
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