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PETROSENTR-Forskningssentre for petroleum

National Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Utilization of The Norwegian Continental Shelf

Alternative title: Nasjonalt senter for bærekraftig utnyttelse av norsk sokkel

Awarded: NOK 80.0 mill.

NCS2030: National Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Utilization of the Norwegian Continental Shelf is one of three research centres for petroleum. NCS2030 was granted by the Research Council in 2021, started in 2022, and has a duration of up to 8 years. The University of Stavanger is the host, and NORCE, IFE and the University of Bergen are research partners. The Centre is funded by NFR, 6 oil- and energy companies, and by resources from the 4 academic partners and 2 technology suppliers. NCS2030 contributes to solving the sustainability dilemma; make use of the nation's resources to ensure stable energy access, while reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases to reach climate goals. More than 70 interdisciplinary researchers are associated with the Centre and work on the more than 26 ongoing projects. An important activity is to educate future experts on sustainable utilization of the Norwegian continental shelf. During 2023, 8 master's students have graduated, and 7 PhD candidates have got a good start. The Centre will employ additionally 4 postdoctoral fellows and 10 PhD candidates, and the number of master's students related to the Centre is expected to increase. In 2023, the Centre has visited industry partners to discuss activities, results and new opportunities. Awareness about Centre activities has been raised among the industry partners' employees and areas for deep and specific collaboration have been defined. Furthermore, the Centre has increased the scope of its research activity through associated- and spin-off projects. “Energy Norway”, the annual conference organized by the Centre, will take place 15-17 April 2024, and its first day will be devoted to a workshop on digitalization. The last year’s research has provided increased understanding of how fluids move in the subsurface, and its implications for temporary storage of hydrogen (H2), permanent storage of CO2, and petroleum production. Is the movement of these fluids, the rock interactions, and leakage important? In the Centre, this is investigated with both observations of the seabed, seismic surveys, experiments in laboratories, and modelling. CO2-tracers have been developed to show how CO2 moves and interacts with fluids and minerals. Methods to use naturally occurring tracers to understand how various parts of the subsurface are connected or not, have also been developed. Within modelling, and the use of an ensemble of models, improvements have been made to existing reservoir modelling methods by including uncertainty in measurements. These methodologies allow for better quantification of uncertainty of the reservoir models, better prediction of fluid production and facilitate better decisions. Within digitization and machine learning, we are also looking at how to use, safely and efficiently and without moving and sharing, large amounts of proprietary data from different hosts to train models. Within net zero emission production, the focus has been on energy-efficient methods for oil and gas production, reducing water production and injection, which significantly reduces CO2 emitted from platform gas turbines. This means improved and accelerated oil production, reducing the amount of water that is injected and produced, and unlocking resources near existing infrastructure. Methods that have shown promising results are advanced polymers, wettability alteration methods (smart water), carbonated water (CO2 dissolved in water), and CO2/water-foam. In addition, methods that have been effective for producing tight chalk reservoirs (e.g. the Ekofisk field) will be investigated for tight diatomite reservoirs (silica-based). To evaluate the overall effect on CO2 emissions, life cycle analyses are carried out. Preliminary results show that chemicals that are effective at very low concentrations, e.g., polymers, are promising. Methods that use CO2 will have the advantage that most of the CO2 remains in the reservoir. In the future, tools (e.g., eCalcTM) that can calculate and optimize the reduction in CO2 emissions will be used. Electrification of the platforms is another way to reduce CO2 emissions. Preliminary results show that electrification will lead to increased electricity prices onshore, and that electricity produced from offshore wind farms alone will not be enough to reach expected CO2 reductions. In the future energy mix, overproduction of energy from renewable sources, such as sun and wind, can be utilized to produce H2, which in turn can be stored underground for periods of energy underproduction. This requires large and safe storage locations, hence preliminary volume calculations have been made for H2 stored in artificial built caves in natural salt structures in the North Sea. Storage in salt caverns requires the understanding of salt impurities, leakage risks and microbes that may eat the H2. Other geological structures for H2 storage are also being investigated.

The vision of the NCS2030 centre is to facilitate an energy-efficient, multi-purpose utilization of the subsurface into a “Sustainable Subsurface Value Chain” to reach the Net-Zero-Emissions goals on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Four main research areas are identified, namely Subsurface energy systems, Net-zero emission production, Digitalization and Society. The research activities are organized into eight work packages (WP): six WPs in research, one WP in education and outreach and one WP in management. The Centre will: - Develop new and improved knowledge of geological plays for both hydrocarbon and renewable resources, including storage of CO2 and H2, and geothermal energy near field areas; - Recommend more effective hydrocarbon production solutions with minimized energy and reduced carbon footprint by integrating renewable energy sources and CCS; - Develop the next generation of digital tools and methods for improved subsurface characterization, with multiple scenarios, uncertainty, decision analysis for highly nonlinear problems, large models and big data; - Extend the experience of ensemble-based workflows for emission reduction, energy efficiency and supporting utilization of reservoirs for storage of energy and waste. Education of professionals with new competencies that will drive the transition is an important priority. NCS2030 will enable collaboration between policy makers, field operators, service companies, technology providers and academic groups, and will complement established research initiatives to create new solutions through an innovation program. The Centre consists of 4 main academic and research partners (UiS, NORCE, IFE, UiB), 3 national (UiT, UiO, NFiP) and 13 international academic collaborators, support from at least 6 major energy operators on the NCS, 2 major service companies and 8 innovation/technology companies and associations who will ensure high relevance, impact and dissemination.

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PETROSENTR-Forskningssentre for petroleum