TherMoCool: Securing the future of CO₂ storage

Norway has been storing CO₂ offshore since 1996 and aims to take a leading role in the development of Carbon Capture and Storage technologies (CCS). Geological formations off the Norwegian coast have the capacity to store 400 gigatons of CO₂—equivalent to all of Europe’s emissions over the next 25 years.

However, one major challenge remains: understanding the large-scale injection capacity of these formations.

To address this, NORCE Research in Stavanger is working with top energy, technology, and engineering companies to establish a test and verification facility at Ullandhaug. The goal is to develop optimal, knowledge-based CO₂ injection methods that will make large-scale storage both safe and efficient.

– To successfully store large amounts of CO₂, we need a better understanding of how the gas behaves on its way down into the subsurface, says Oddvar Skjæveland, head of research infrastructure and regional director for NORCE in Stavanger.

The Background of TherMoCool

For over 20 years, the Sleipner and Snøhvit projects have provided valuable experience in CO₂ storage—but at a much smaller scale.

Now, with industry players planning to store 30–50 million tons of CO₂ annually by 2035, a completely new approach to injection is required.

The reality is that we don’t yet know how megaton quantities of CO₂ will behave as they travel toward the storage formations. Impurity levels, flow rates, pressure, and temperature conditions all play a crucial role in ensuring safe injection. These factors will determine how effectively CO₂ integrates into the storage reservoirs.

Preparing for the next industrial revolution at Ullandhaug

Today, we rely on theoretical models to predict how CO₂ behaves on its way to the storage site, explains Skjæveland, adding that we need more practical experience in order to develop safe and effective solutions.

- Only through real-world testing can we optimize injection strategies, reduce risks, and create reliable storage solutions, he points out.

For 40 years, the Ullandhaug test facility has been a key site for testing drilling equipment in the oil and gas sector. Now, it will also be used to support CCS research and development, leveraging decades of expertise to meet new industry challenges through the TherMoCool project, which is also an Energy Transition Norway cluster project.

– Testing is also necessary to make CCS economically viable, says the project manager.

Current CO₂ storage solutions face technical and financial hurdles because captured CO₂ often contains various impurities from the capture process. Today, operators must purify the gas at great cost before it can be transported and stored.

–  This significantly increases costs and limits both storage capacity and processing speed.

For more ‘hard-to-abate’ industries to afford CO₂ storage, we must be able to handle a greater variation in gas impurities.

A global testing ground for CO₂ storage technologies

The TherMoCool project is still in its early stages, but the ambition is clear: to create the world’s largest full-scale injection facility - a test arena where researchers and industry players from around the world can develop and verify technology, injection methods, and injection speeds for CO₂ storage.

–  We will test, learn, and ensure that CCS becomes a scalable and successful solution, Skjæveland concludes.

With scientifically proven and secure injection methods, TherMoCool will ensure that Norway can position itself at the forefront of CCS technology, providing a long-term storage solution for global emissions.