The Anonymous Widower

Spirit Energy Welcomes Licence Award For World-Leading Carbon Storage Facility

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Centrica.

This is the sub-heading.

Spirit Energy and its shareholders, Centrica Plc and Stadtwerke München GmbH (SWM), welcome licence award for world-leading carbon storage facility

These are the first two paragraphs.

Spirit Energy – with the support of majority shareholder Centrica Plc, and Stadtwerke München GmbH (SWM) – has today (18 May) been granted a carbon storage licence by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). This represents a further step towards their net zero vision of repurposing the North and South Morecambe gas fields for carbon capture and storage.

Today’s announcement places the companies at the forefront of the decarbonisation efforts in the UK, with the MNZ (Morecambe Net Zero) Cluster having the potential to be one of the UK’s biggest carbon storage hubs. It will be able to store up to a gigaton of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of three years’ worth of current UK CO₂ emissions. It could initially store above 5MTPA of CO₂, scaling in time to 25MTPA. The MNZ Cluster will be able to accept CO₂ transported by pipeline, ship and rail.

Note.

1. I would assume MTPA is megaton per annum.
2. In the long-term, I believe we’ll find productive uses for a substantial amount of the CO₂ we create, in agriculture, manufacturing construction materials, animal foods and textiles  and in other uses.
3. The MNZ Cluster is very large and will be a superb partner for Carbon Capture and Use.
4. The partners will invest over £1 billion in this project pending the outcome of the Track 2 process.

Neil McCulloch, CEO of Spirit Energy, finished the news item like this.

Spirit Energy has ambitions for the two gas fields to form the core of a green super-hub. This would explore opportunities like direct air capture, the manufacture of blue hydrogen, the production of green hydrogen, the integration of other renewable power generation facilities, and energy storage – all of which would put Barrow and the North West on the map as a centre for low-carbon innovation.

It is a good vision.

May 19, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Energy | Carbon Capture And Storage, Centrica, Morecambe Net Zero Cluster, Spirit Energy