Morecambe CCS Project Advances Toward Offshore CO₂ Storage
Depleted offshore gas fields could soon take on a new role as a large-scale carbon storage project advances through the U.K.'s regulatory process.
(P&GJ) — Spirit Energy's Morecambe Net Zero (MNZ) Peak Cluster carbon capture and storage project has entered a new regulatory phase after receiving approval from the U.K. North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) to advance its carbon storage license application.
The approval allows the project to move into the Assess Phase, a key step toward securing permits to store carbon dioxide in the depleted North and South Morecambe gas fields in the East Irish Sea after natural gas production ends later this decade.
The milestone follows three years of technical studies, including a 500-square-kilometer (193-square-mile) 3D seismic survey and subsurface evaluation program designed to assess the fields' long-term storage potential. According to Spirit Energy, the work confirmed the reservoirs could store approximately 1 billion tonnes of CO₂.
The project is being developed by Spirit Energy and Peak Cluster and is designed to transport and permanently store up to 3 million tonnes of CO₂ annually from cement and lime manufacturing facilities in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The development targets industrial emissions that are difficult to reduce through other means.
Centrica CEO Chris O'Shea said repurposing the Morecambe fields would allow existing offshore infrastructure to continue serving a role in the U.K.'s energy system while supporting industrial decarbonization efforts.
Matt Browell-Hook, Spirit Energy's director of energy transition, decommissioning and projects, said the project would utilize infrastructure that has supported U.K. energy production for decades while creating long-term carbon storage capacity.
Project partners estimate the development could contribute approximately £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) to the U.K. economy by 2050 and support more than 13,000 jobs while attracting additional investment during construction and operations.
The project is among several large-scale CCS developments being pursued in the U.K. as policymakers seek to expand carbon transportation and storage infrastructure to support industrial emissions reduction goals.