DNV has secured approval to conduct impact assessment studies on the feasibility of reusing existing pipelines for carbon dioxide transmission, as part of a large carbon capture and storage project being planned in the Dutch North Sea
A view of the Rotterdam Port, Netherlands. Credit: Rotterdam Port’s official website
DNV, an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway has been given the green signal to conduct an impact assessment study for a carbon capture and storage pipeline. The study will investigate the viability of reusing existing offshore pipelines to transport carbon dioxide emissions. DNV has been conducting related studies for the project as part of its plan to develop a large-scale offshore carbon capture and storage project in the Dutch North Sea. If the project is given the final go-ahead, it will be among the largest carbon capture and storage projects in the Dutch North Sea. This project itself will manage approximately half of all carbon emissions generated by the Dutch industrial sector.
The first phase of DNV’s impact assessment study will investigate how vulnerable the existing pipelines are to ductile fractures, particularly those pipeline systems interacting with dense-phase carbon dioxide. The impact assessment study will also attempt to understand whether these pipeline systems can be used by both welded and seamless sub-sea line systems. The methods to make such assessments will be taken from reviews of technical literature.
The Dutch government has been particularly keen to cut down on carbon emissions generated by its economy. The country’s carbon footprint has been significant, thanks to its strategic importance in worldwide trade. For instance, Rotterdam Port has one of the highest rates of carbon emission in Europe due to a large number of ships breaking or terminating their journey at the location.
Last month, the Dutch government awarded Shell and ExxonMobil a whopping €2 billion in subsidies for their giant carbon capture and storage project, Porthos. Porthos is being developed specifically to address carbon emissions generated at the Rotterdam Port. The project, once functional from 2024 is expected to absorb and send to permanent storage almost 2.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
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