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needs full energy system thinking and However, because competitive carbon infrastructure, thereby reducing costs
greater awareness of the tight timeline pricing in heavily industrialised and lead times.
and interdependencies of technologies countries such as China and India is not
and policies. It critically requires the forecast to occur before 2035, we expect TRANSPORTING GREEN GASES
courage to make difficult decisions. a more limited scale-up compared with DNV’s 2020 Energy Transition Outlook
The recently released Technology the long-term International Energy forecasts that by mid-century around
Progress Report, a new supplement Agency scenario . half of the energy mix will still be
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to DNV’s annual Energy Transition Mature carbon capture technology made up of hydrocarbons. Therefore,
Outlook, has highlighted how ten key exists for nearly all industries, but in pipelines will remain critically
energy transition technologies are recent years the focus has shifted away important for transporting molecular
expected to develop, compete, and from the fossil fuel power generation energy from the point of production or
interact over the next five years if sector to major industries like cement, storage to the point of consumption.
global economies are to meet emissions steel, refining, hydrogen and ammonia. Increasing capacity by repurposing
reduction targets. existing infrastructure for gases such
The technologies that have the as hydrogen and CO₂, rather than
potential to deeply decarbonise the Building CO₂ transport hubs constructing new pipelines, can reduce
world’s energy system are well known. in industrialised areas with both project risk and commercial
They are those that can help to scale access to storage sites under burden. However, these projects are
renewable power generation and extend development – such as those mainly at the pilot stage. Larger-scale
its reach through the electrification of deployment of hydrogen and CCS is
new sectors, replacing natural gas with in the Netherlands, Norway, likely to require linking production and
hydrogen and which can remove carbon UK and Italy, will speed carbon capture utilisation and storage
from fossil fuel energy sources, before large-scale uptake of CCS by (CCUS). This will be through hubs and
or at the point of combustion. purpose-built ‘backbone’ pipelines to
The real challenge lies in navigating allowing industrial clusters to connect facilities such as steelworks,
how and when to implement these share transport and storage chemical plants and power stations,
technologies – all of which are at infrastructure, thereby that previously would not have had any
different stages of maturity – and in reducing costs and lead times reason for being partnered. In addition,
managing how they interact and rely on many inland facilities will need to be
one another. Understanding this will coupled to coastal hubs for hydrogen
enable industry, governments and those Costs vary greatly across industries supply or CO₂ export.
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financing the transition to effectively from $15 to $125 per ton of CO₂, but According to forecasts , CCUS
prioritise their efforts, to achieve the these are expected to fall . The largest demand in 2050 will be roughly 100
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emissions reductions required every savings will likely come from come from times larger than the collective capacity
year through to 2050. the replication of projects and economy of the roughly 6,500km of CO₂ pipelines
of scale, process improvements, that exist today.
CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE and increased competition between Research is underway to determine
Governments are implementing technology providers. Widespread how new low carbon gas pipelines
more effective climate policies and deployment of the technology is and existing pipeline materials will
shareholders are pressuring companies paramount to significantly cut costs, perform in hydrogen and CO₂ service
to reduce their emissions. There where higher carbon prices will further and potentially at different operating
has been a significant increase in strengthen uptake. temperatures and pressures.
commercial carbon capture and storage Connecting CO₂ sources to Transporting CO₂ by pipeline links
(CCS) project announcements and permanent geological storage sites the process activities for capturing CO₂
investment, especially in industrial is an essential part of the CCS chain. at an emitter facility (e.g., power station,
sectors that have limited near-future Today, CO₂ is primarily transported steel manufacturer, refinery) with
technology alternatives for abating large through pipelines, but transport the activities needed to inject it deep
CO₂ emissions, such as oil and gas, steel, by ship and truck is also an option. underground for permanent geological
cement, and waste-to-energy. In 2020, Studies have already identified many storage. Critical issues are as follows:
there were 26 commercial scale CCS suitable and safe sites to store CO₂ Impurities in captured CO₂ affect
facilities in operation across the globe across the world. However, sites must the phase behavior and have a
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capturing just under 40 Mt CO₂ . also be close to capture plants and significant impact on pipeline design
Large-scale implementation of identification, assessment and approval parameters. The current demand
CCS technologies is a necessary part of storage sites can take up to ten years. for rapid growth in CCS to support
of reaching the Paris Agreement Therefore, short-term development of deep decarbonisation of industry
climate targets. Although CCS has long CCS infrastructure will mainly occur will result in CO₂ being captured
been considered an immature and in locations that already have tailored from a much wider range of emission
risky distraction from other ‘better’ regulations, i.e., Northern Europe, sources, with a much broader range
decarbonisation routes, today we see a North America and Australia. of contaminants than previously
renewed interest in this technology as it Building CO₂ transport hubs in encountered.
becomes an effective a tool for achieving industrialised areas with access to Pipeline capacity and size also
net negative emissions and transitioning storage sites under development – such needs careful consideration. It is
to a net zero emissions future. as those in the Netherlands, Norway, tempting to design the pipeline for
CCS is expected to scale substantially UK and Italy, will speed large-scale the maximum flow capacity that
over the next three decades thanks to uptake of CCS by allowing industrial could be needed, but oversizing the
the carbon price increase in Europe. clusters to share transport and storage pipeline carries significant risks

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