Wintershall Dea confirms carbon storage well in the North Sea

Wintershall Dea and its partner have decided to drill the first well in the Luna licence in the Norwegian North Sea. With storage potential of 5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, Luna is a key part of the company’s plans to develop an extensive Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) value chain in the Northwest Europe, linking European heavy industry with Norwegian basins. 

“Wintershall Dea in Norway already plays a key role in delivering the vital energy that Europe needs. We are also committed to becoming a part of the solution for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere,” said Michael Zechner, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Norge.

As operator of both Luna and Havstjerne, Wintershall Dea is the second largest shareholder of carbon storage licences in Norway after Equinor. The two companies joined forces last year, signing an agreement to pursue the development of a CO₂ pipeline connecting continental European emitters with carbon storage sinks in the Norwegian North Sea. Wintershall Dea also holds storage licences in the UK and Denmark, showcasing the company’s commitment in building a European carbon capture and storage industry.  

Luna could be one of the carbon sinks at the Norwegian end of the pipeline.

“As an engineering and geological company with headquarters in Germany and decades of experience investing in Norway, we are uniquely placed to help solve the problem of storing hard to abate emissions from European heavy industry,” so Klaus Langemann, Senior Vice President Carbon Management & Hydrogen at Wintershall Dea. “We see Carbon Capture and Storage as an essential part of the solution for Europe to meet its commitments for carbon dioxide reduction.”

Wintershall Dea was awarded operatorship of the Luna CO₂ storage licence by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in November last year. The licence is located 120 km west of Bergen. Wintershall Dea has a 60 per cent share in the licence. CapeOmega Carbon Storage AS recently farmed out its 40 per cent participating interest to TotalEnergies. Government approval of the transaction is ongoing.