Longship; Brevik CCS Shares Knowledge and Experience

Global events such as the war in Ukraine, with material shortages and rising prices in its wake, have directly impacted projects like Brevik CCS. Part of the mandate for the Longship participants – Heidelberg Materials, Hafslund Oslo Celsio, and Northern Lights – is to contribute to increased experience and awareness regarding CO₂ management. Experiences are communicated appropriately through reports, visits to the facilities, and participation in conferences and presentations.

The state covers a significant portion of the project costs. In return, it is required that the Longship participants share their experiences with subsequent CCS projects. Brevik CCS’s 2023 experience report is part of the requirements in the State Support Agreement (SSA), which Gassnova follows up on.

Topics covered in Brevik CCS’s experience report include technical solutions, experiences from the project implementation phase, project management, environmental impact, health, safety, and environment (HSE), business models, and potential improvements. The report from Brevik discusses the experiences from 2023 and provides a broader understanding of the complexity of CCS projects of this magnitude – during a hectic construction phase.

A similar experience report for 2023 has also come from Northern Lights.

Status and Results

Throughout 2023, Brevik CCS made significant progress despite challenging external conditions. Key technical advances included completing the engineering work on the CO₂ capture plant, and successfully installing key infrastructure such as CO₂ storage tanks and pipeline systems. These milestones represent significant technical and operational progression in the project. This illustrates the project team’s need for flexibility to handle uncertainty in the supply chain.

Technical Challenges

The technical work encountered several challenges, especially related to pipeline systems and standardizations. The choice between pipe standards such as ASME, ANSI, ASTM, and EN impacted the availability and delivery time of materials. This affected not only the project’s progress but also the cost frameworks and efficiency.

Technical Proficiency

A lack of specialized knowledge in pipeline systems within the project team led to challenges related to deliveries, fabrication, and installation. This underscores the importance of specialized expertise in future projects, especially related to complex pipeline systems.

Material handling

2023 demonstrated how crucial sufficient supply chain management is for a large and complex project under critical market conditions. Project management had to adjust budgets due to inflation and delays in material deliveries. This affected both schedules and finances. The learning point is to anticipate and plan for economic adjustments, especially given enhanced global uncertainty.

Engineering and Installation

The engineering phase of the Brevik CCS project involved development of detailed milestones and process definitions. An example of challenges in this context is the installation of cold insulation on the tanks for liquid CO₂. This required careful climate control and planning, especially in the colder months of the year.

Training

A key theme for 2023 was the training of operational personnel. Using an Operator Training System (OTS) became a critical success factor for effective training. Ensuring a smooth transition to full operation is essential. The operators being well-prepared before the start of the plant will continue to be a priority into 2024.

Safety and Environment

Brevik CCS maintains high standards for environmental and safety at the workplace, and Norwegian authorities impose strict requirements. Strict emission permits and compliance with environmental regulations are key to the project’s acceptance in the community. Experience from these processes will be very important for similar projects going forward. It is important to have good dialogue with local authorities and the population nearby the facility.

Brevik CCS; Summary

In the third year of the Brevik CCS project has provided knowledge which will be useful for future carbon capture and storage projects. The importance of technical expertise, thorough planning, and adaptability has been clearly demonstrated over the past year. The insights from 2023 will not only affect the next phases of the Brevik project, but they will also be valuable for new, global CCS initiatives.