– I think the price tag should be below NOK 2,000 per tonne of CO₂, says the general manager of the energy company Ocean-Power, Erling Ronglan. Ronglan says that they have considered a solution for carbon capture and storage of CO₂ at Equinor’s gas plant outside Hammerfest. That is, not exactly on Melkøya, but on a raft next to the island. – One of the options we have envisioned is to build a fleet with a complete gas power plant and CO2 capture on top. We have thus not considered capturing CO₂ from the existing turbines, as Equinor has assessed, says Ronglan. Erling Ronglan in Ocean-Power does not think it will be as expensive to capture CO₂ from the Snøhvit field outside Hammerfest as Equinor has calculated. Photo: Ocean-Power He is open that there are several factors that are unknown to them, as long as they do not come into cooperation with Equinor. Nevertheless, he believes that the figures should hold water. – It may be that we can manage it even further down, but this is an estimate that I think we can manage to achieve, he says. Ronglan says that the solution they envisage is cheaper because there is no need to close the plant during construction. Equinor has an application with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, where they are asking to be allowed to electrify the gas plant on Melkøya with shore power. This has triggered fierce political debate. This is because the solution will both affect reindeer husbandry, cause a power deficit in Finnmark and lead to high electricity prices in the county. Last Saturday at the latest, the Center Party’s national meeting decided to move away from electrification. The decision could create a government crisis. Pressure on Equinor Frederic Hauge in Bellona believes the government must put more pressure on Equinor in this case. The environmental leader believes it is startling that the government does not show a greater willingness to investigate and verify the figures from Equinor. – The fact that you choose to put their numbers blindly as a premise for the debate, before you have dealt with it in the ministry, seems biased. It is only to be hoped that the pressure will be great for Ap to turn around in this matter, says Hauge. Bellona leader Frederic Hauge believes the government must put more pressure on Equinor. Photo: Ole Dalen / news According to Ronglan, the company he leads has been in contact with Equinor several times to show its interest. – The day they are interested, we are ready to work together with them. Do studies in teams and come up with an offer. We have signalled that, he says. – Have you received an answer? – No, but they have an application at the OED, so it is not that common to start new studies as long as it is being processed, says Ronglan. – When can a carbon capture plant outside Hammerfest be ready if you throw yourself around, do you think? – In 2028. Then we imagine that it will take a year to decide, then it will be built and then we should have electricity and CO₂ injection in 2028, says the civil engineer. Too expensive Back in 2010, Equinor carried out studies of a full-scale CCS plant, i.e. a plant for carbon capture and storage, on Melkøya. At the time, they concluded that this was too complex and too expensive. Equinor’s spokesperson, Gisle Ledel Johannessen, writes in an e-mail to news that the figures at the time showed that the price tag would be somewhere between NOK 4,500 to 6,000 per tonne of CO₂. – New assessments made in 2018–19 and now in 2023 confirm the conclusions from these studies, says Johannessen. Equinor’s Gisle Ledel Johannessen will not comment on the proposal for Ocean-Power. He says that they relate to the application that is in the OED. Photo: Arne Reidar Mortensen / Arne Reidar Mortensen He refers to several factors on which the calculation is based: Need for two more LM6000 gas turbines to cover the CCS plant’s energy needs, in addition to land compression and seabed compression. 170 day shutdown of the facility. A large need for land that would require expansion of Melkøya. Insufficient capacity in existing CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure (pipeline and wells). For CCS from the turbines, we must have a new pipeline and a new CO2 injector (drill a new well) and check whether the reservoir we are injecting into as of today can accept more CO₂. Most likely we will have to check other reservoirs. Up to the authorities Johannessen says that if they are to consider going for carbon capture and storage, it must be done as a result of a new authority decision. He further believes that such a project will take 7–8 years from start to operation and that it is not favorable in terms of environmental emissions. Johannessen will not comment on the proposal for Ronglan in Ocean Power. Nor the price tag and estimated construction time from that side. – We have submitted plans for how they can best develop the cornerstone company Hammerfest LNG for continued value creation for decades to come. These are plans that the authorities will now decide on, he says. news has tried to get a comment from the Labor Party on this issue without success.
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Calculated that carbon capture on Melkøya can be three times as cheap as what Equinor says – news Troms and Finnmark
