Viking, Acorn CCS projects awarded Track 2 status from UK government

(WO) – The Humber-based Viking CO2 transportation and storage network and the Acorn CCS project in northeast Scotland have been awarded Track 2 status as part of the UK Government's CCS cluster sequencing process, Harbour Energy reported.

The announcement marks an important milestone for the two projects, allowing them to move into front end engineering and design (FEED) and discussions with the government over the terms of the economic licenses, ahead of final investment decisions.

Viking has the potential to transport and store up to 10 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030 and 15 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2035, with independently verified storage capacity of 300 million tonnes of CO2 across the depleted Viking gas fields. The project could be transformational for the Humber region, potentially unlocking up to £7 billion of investment across the full CO2 capture, transport and storage value chain between 2025 and 2035, creating over 10,000 jobs during construction and providing an estimated £4 billion of gross value add (GVA) to the Humber and its surrounding areas.

The Viking CCS project can also enable the potential for shipped CO2 from dispersed emitters elsewhere in the UK and internationally to be transported for permanent storage within the Viking fields, creating a new industry for the UK.

Linda Z Cook, CEO of Harbour Energy, commented, "Today's announcement is an important step forward for Harbour's Viking and Acorn CCS projects and the development of the carbon capture and storage industry in the UK. It is also a further demonstration of the key role that the oil and gas sector is playing by using our existing infrastructure, skills and experience to build this new industry and help deliver the energy transition."