Risk management studies carried out by DNV will be crucial to the safety and public acceptance of the CO2 logistics hub being developed through the Rotterdam Climate Initiative. The project will involve port and offshore infrastructure development, along with a range of transportation solutions, which could eventually service many of north-western Europe’s greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.
The City of Rotterdam and their industry partners are involved in a range of innovative projects and pilot studies aimed at reducing local CO2 emissions to 50 per cent of 1990 levels by 2025. Carbon capture and storage (CSS) is a key component of the strategies needed to achieve this goal as rather than being released to the atmosphere when both fossil and renewable carbon-based fuels are burnt, CO2 is captured and stored in a suitable geological reservoir.
Ready Access
Rotterdam hosts a significant number of CO2-producing power and process industries and has ready access to sites in the North Sea that are suitable for the geological storage of CO2.
Recommended Practices
So far CSS has only been undertaken at small scales and an end-to-end processing chain does not exist. A barrier to effective large-scale deployment is the current lack of a suitable regulatory framework, so in support of the growing demand for CSS technology worldwide, DNV initiated a number of joint industry research projects and subsequently released recommended practices for activities such as the qualification of CO2 capture technology, the selection of sites for geological storage and the design and operation of CO2 pipelines.
Developing Infrastructure
DNV’s involvement in Rotterdam will build on this knowledge to provide targeted safety studies for the development of the infrastructure that will enable large and small producers of CO2 to become part of an integrated logistics and storage system designed to simplify management and maximise cost effectiveness. The project brings together the entire CO2 activity chain including regulators, the power industry, process and piping specialists, shipping and offshore storage providers.
Evaluating Feasability
DNV’s Rotterdam office is supporting the Port of Rotterdam Authority by evaluating the feasibility of a distribution network that will involve inland and sea-going ships, barges and pipelines. They are exploring the potential risks and opportunities of different lay-out options and the location of a CO2 terminal at the port. An understanding of the synergies that could be created with neighbouring industrial facilities is being explored.
CO2 Liquefaction
The office is also carrying out a study for the CINTRA consortium, some of the participants in the Rotterdam Climate Initiative, in their bid to offer a transport solution involving CO2 liquefaction technology. The scope of the safety study includes consequence modelling and a risk assessment of accidental CO2 releases from ships, the terminal and pipelines.
Expanding Public Support
The integrated CSS network is expected to scale-up from demonstration to commercial operation by 2015, handling as much as 20 mega tonnes of CO2 annually by 2025. Future challenges include expanding public support for the project throughout the region and the development of requirements for the safe operation and subsequent decommissioning of geological storage sites.
Source: https://www.dnv.com/press_area/press_releases/2011/dnvevaluatesthesafetyofrotterdamsexpandingco2hub.asp[DNV]