UK carbon capture and storage technical peer review

Challenge

When the UK Government launched its UK Carbon Capture and Commercialisation Programme, the Peterhead Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) Project was one of the two projects selected for further development.

The project had the potential to capture up to 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from the Peterhead Power Station, for transportation offshore by pipeline for longterm storage in the depleted reservoirs of the Shell operated Goldeneye Field. Goldeneye was a gas condensate field in UKCS offshore Blocks 14/29a and 20/4b. Production from the field commenced in October 2004 and ceased in 2011.

SLR was engaged by Shell to provide technical advice on the subsurface aspects of the FEED and key knowledge deliverables as part of the application process to DECC to secure funding and development support associated with the UK CCS Programme.

Solution

SLR provided a technical peer review of all subsurface documentation to ensure that the content was robust and consistent and that all documents conformed to Shell’s corporate guidelines and DECC’s requirements.

Subsurface topics included:

• Static geological models, for the
• reservoir, aquifer and overburden
• Geomechanics
• Well data
• PVT fluid analysis and special core
• analysis
• Estimates of the reservoir pore space volume available to store CO2

Impact

Shell was able to submit the FEED and Key Knowledge Deliverables to DECC under the tight deadline requirements. Peterhead CCS Project successfully secured initial development support and funding from DECC. The UK Government subsequently withdrew funding for it’s project.