Eni Gets CO2 Appraisal and Storage Licence

The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has announced that it has awarded a carbon dioxide appraisal and storage licence to Eni UK Limited.

Under the licence, which will cover an area located within the Liverpool Bay region of the East Irish Sea, Eni plans to reuse and repurpose depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs (the Hamilton, Hamilton North and Lennox fields) and associated infrastructure to permanently store CO2 captured in north-west England and north Wales.

The application for the licence was said to have been made by Eni in order to help address the decarbonisation needs of the areas.

“The OGA is very pleased to award this licence for what we hope will be a highly successful project,” Andy Samuel, the chief executive of the OGA, said in an organisation statement.

“The energy integration work we’ve been leading shows that the combination of various energy systems, including carbon capture and hydrogen, can make a significant contribution to the UK’s net zero 2050 target,” he added.

“HyNet is an exciting example of energy integration in action – re-using existing infrastructure and depleted reservoirs for significant carbon storage, coupled with hydrogen generation for a variety of innovative uses,” Mr Samuel continued.

Claudio Descalzi, the chief executive officer of Eni, said, “I’m delighted and proud to announce the award of the licence CS004 for carbon storage in the UK, first licence of its kind for Eni.

“This is a vitally important project for Eni and represents a milestone for the 2050 Net Zero ambitions of the UK and a fundamental pillar for the strategy of energy transition and decarbonisation that Eni is strongly committed to,” he added.

The OGA is the licensing authority for offshore carbon dioxide storage in the UK. It approves and issues carbon dioxide storage and appraisal licences, storage permits and maintains the carbon storage public register.

Source: Rigzone