Harbour Energy awards engineering contract for Viking CCS expansion

Harbour Energy has awarded a well engineering contract to Elemental Energies as its Viking carbon capture and storage project advances in the Southern North Sea. The agreement provides integrated subsurface and well engineering support for the extension of the project’s carbon storage sites. This development marks significant progress for the government’s track two CCS projects, which have faced delays throughout the year compared to the track one winning HyNet and East Coast Cluster initiatives.

Elemental Energies, an Aberdeen-headquartered firm, will work to mature the capacity, containment and injectivity associated with the project’s East and West expansion sites. The two-year engagement is designed to provide the technical insight and assurance required to manage risk and support confident decision-making throughout major project development and delivery. Mike Adams, chief executive of Elemental Energies, stated that the collaboration demonstrates the value of bringing together subsurface, geomechanics and well engineering expertise within a single integrated team. He added that the company is proud to help shape the infrastructure and capabilities that will define the sector’s future as investment in carbon capture accelerates.

Viking CCS is being developed to transport and permanently store carbon dioxide beneath the UK Southern North Sea. The project has an initial capacity to capture and store up to four million tonnes of CO2 each year from the early 2030s. Alongside the anchor storage site, the additional stores are being progressed to provide future storage capacity as the development moves towards a final investment decision. The project is in receipt of £65.5 million in development cash to progress front-end engineering design and the onshore pipeline development consent order.

Several emitters are looking to connect into the project, including the HumberZero venture between Phillips 66 and VPI Immingham, which aims to capture 3.8 million tonnes of carbon annually by 2029. Drax is also investing in bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, targeting around four million tonnes per year. Associated British Ports is exploring carbon capture infrastructure at the Port of Immingham to consider shipping options for unconnected emitters. In contrast, the other track two project, Acorn in Scotland, has stalled after its £200 million government grant was redirected in the last budget. Chancellor Healey is eyeing a move for an equity stake through publicly owned GB Energy, a decision that prompted SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan to demand the UK government invest North Sea tax receipts in such projects. Storegga put its stake in the project up for sale last year, but no other CCS player has stepped up to buy it out.