Norway Puts One North Sea Area Up for CO2 Storage Bids

Illustration (Credit: NOD)

Norwegian Ministry of Energy has opened applications for exploration licenses related to CO2 storage in one designated area in the North Sea.

Announcement and possible allocation of area for a storage permit will take place after individual application. The permitting process is initiated by companies applying for permits according to the storage regulations, after having established that they have sufficiently good basis for applying.

The deadline for applications has been set for April 23, 2025.

“It's good that there is interest in areas that can be used for CO2 storage. The purpose of allocating land is to be able to offer stakeholders in Europe large-scale CO2 storage on commercial terms,” said Minister of Energy Terje Aasland.

This is the eighth time acreage is being announced for CO2 storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Large-scale CO2-storage is important to reach the climate goals. Norway has great potential for storage on the continental shelf.

Until now, a total of 13 licences have been awarded for CO2 storage on the Norwegian continental shelf - one exploitation licence and 12 exploration licences.

Awards of such areas is a prerequisite for large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS). A commercial company have made inquiries to the ministry with the desire regarding awards of one specific storage area. The inquiry forms the basis for the area now being announced, the Norwegian government said.