OGA awards Eni carbon storage licence

The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has awarded a carbon dioxide (CO₂) appraisal and storage licence (CS licence) to Eni UK.

The CS licence will cover an area located within the Liverpool Bay area of the East Irish Sea, where 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. 

Eni aims to be part of the HyNet collaborative effort with industrial companies to capture and transport CO₂ from existing industries and future hydrogen production sites for fuel switching, heating, power and transportation in the context of UK targets for net zero emissions by 2050. It expects the project to benefit local communities by creating new job opportunities and help develop the area’s economy whilst providing a tangible pathway to energy transition and decarbonisation. 

Commenting on the award, Dr Andy Samuel, Chief Executive, OGA says: ‘The OGA is very pleased to award this licence for what we hope will be a highly successful project. 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. 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.’ 

Details about the the HyNet carbon capture and hydrogen generation scheme can be found at https://hynet.co.uk/