Investigated CO2 Storage sites and potential storage sites

Sleipner (North Sea)

This storage site has been in operation since 1996 by Statoil. More than 14 million m³ of CO₂ have been injected into a saline aquifer (Utsira sand formation) located in the Norwegian section of the North Sea at ~80 m water depth and ~900 m sediment depth. Sleipner is by far the best-studied and most advanced offshore storage site in the world. The spread of CO₂ in the reservoir rock has been studied in detail by the operator and within other research projects.

Snøhvit

This storage site receives ~0.7 Million t of CO₂ a^-1 and has been in operation since late 2008. It is located in the Barents Sea on the Norwegian continental slope. CO₂ is stored in a saline sandstone formation located at ~330 m water depth and ~2.6 km sediment depth. The high pressures and low temperatures at the seabed allow formation of solid CO₂ hydrates. CO₂ ascending from the reservoir rocks via high permeability conduits cutting through the sedimentary cover would, therefore, be trapped within the sedimentary cover by hydrate formation and would not leak into the marine environment. The pockmarks around Snøhvit were probably formed in the geological past but may be associated with recent degassing and dewatering events.

Polish Baltic (B3 field site)

This potential CO₂ storage site in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea is currently exploited for oil. It is located within the B3 field site operated by the Polish companies LOTOS and Petrobaltic and its exploitation will be closed by 2016. The total exploitation is estimated as ~5 Million t. The Polish operators plan to store CO₂ from a nearby oil refinery in the depleted B3 field site oil reservoir. The B3 field site is located ~80 km offshore at a water depth of ~80 m. Available seismic observations and drill core data indicate that the site is most suitable for CO₂ storage.