![Northern Lights in Norway.jpeg](/imported-media/9683/northern-lights-in-norway.jpeg?width=830&height=533&quality=90)
Energy transition
Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage - Baseline seismic survey planning and optimisation
On this ground-breaking carbon transport and storage project, 澳门玄机图 is supporting Northern Lights JV with acquiring baseline seismic data using our Osprey software.
About the Northern Lights
聽is a Joint Venture owned by TotalEnergies, Equinor and Shell and is the transportation and storage component of the full carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain initiative by the Norwegian state called 鈥淟ongship鈥. The project's first phase will be completed in mid-2024, with an initial capacity of up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2听per year. The Northern Lights infrastructure is open to third parties and will deliver carbon transport and storage solutions as a service. Northern Lights holds Exploitation License 001, the first license for聽CO2聽injection and 蝉迟辞谤补驳别听in subsea reservoirs on聽the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
![Northern Lights and Longship CCS project](/imported-media/9684/northern-lights-and-longship-ccs-project.jpg?width=1440&height=960&quality=100&rmode=min)
Monitoring for safe carbon storage on CCS projects
CO2, once captured, compressed and transported, can be injected into subsea reservoirs, usually depleted wells or saline reservoirs. Many pilot projects, such as the聽Sleipner CO2 蝉迟辞谤补驳别听project - running since 1996, have stored聽CO2听underground for decades. However, the right geological conditions must be present.
翱苍肠别听颁翱2听is injected into a subsea reservoir, it must be closely monitored to understand how the聽injected CO2听is causing聽geological changes in the reservoir or the well. For example, in the presence of water, CO2听forms carbonic acid that can cause severe corrosion to the infrastructure. Migration paths in the upper layers of geology that trap the CO2, can be formed by poor well construction or geological faulting.
The first step in instituting a CCS monitoring plan is to establish a baseline survey of the reservoir by acquiring 3D seismic data. Then subsequent surveys are taken聽so any changes in the reservoir or trapping layers can be detected and interpreted, and the CO2聽plume development can be modelled.
Optimising 4D seismic data acquisition
Seismic survey design聽for 4D seismic interpretation must take a pragmatic approach that combines geophysical and logistical considerations. The quality of data is paramount, and at the same time, data collection costs must be efficiently managed. 澳门玄机图 has a solid track record of 4D seismic survey optimisation and had previously provided Equinor with expertise on the聽Sleipner CO2 storage聽project. We were selected to support Northern Lights on the seismic data acquisition for the baseline survey on this important project.
Before the survey, 澳门玄机图 optimisation specialists used Osprey, proprietary software, to model different acquisition options. The model considers the multiple infield聽simultaneous operations (SIMOPS)聽while the survey occurs. In the Norwegian North Sea, the location of the Northern Lights project, there are many shipping vessels and multiple construction projects in development.
Once in the field, the specialists use the optimised plan and Osprey software to assist with the daily management of the operation, making adjustments as required. The optimisation specialist communicates with other vessels so that everyone is up-to-date and working safely.
The planning of the baseline survey is critical. If the seismic data acquisition is聽inefficient, there are possible impacts on the subsequent surveys concerning data quality and project costs.
![Keith Watt, Technical Director, 澳门玄机图](/imported-media/5673/keith_watt.jpg?width=800&height=800&quality=100)
鈥湴拿判 is excited to be supporting the seismic data acquisition that will be used to develop the underground storage of CO2听for the Northern Lights offshore storage. We recognise that CCS is an essential part of the energy transition and are eager to see this project move forward.鈥澛
Keith Watt, Technical Director - Seismic survey optimisation and SIMOPS planning, 澳门玄机图.
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![Gregor Meikle, Technical Director seismic ooperations, 澳门玄机图](/imported-media/5737/gregor-meikle_hs.jpg?cc=0.1636102587117461,0.3166739928939068,0.1479157984638523,0.03840386288535236&width=830&height=533&quality=90)
Gregor Meikle
Technical Director - Seismic survey optimisation and SIMOPS planning
![Lapierre_Tony_2018.11.jpg](/imported-media/2228/lapierre_tony_201811.jpg?width=830&height=533&quality=90)
Tony LaPierre
Technical Director - Seismic Operations and Site Investigations