ORLEN and Gas Transmission Operator GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. have signed a letter of intent to undertake activities related to the preparation of conditions for the implementation of CO2 capture, transmission and sequestration technologies. This includes transporting carbon dioxide from industrial plants to storage sites via pipelines.
The letter of intent signed by ORLEN and GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. provides for cooperation in the form of coordinating activities concerning the development and implementation of technical solutions enabling effective implementation of carbon capture, transmission and storage technologies in Poland. An important element of this process will be to define the principles for conducting this type of activity and, in the future, to create conditions for transporting carbon dioxide by pipelines from places where it is produced and captured to places where it is stored.
“The implementation of carbon dioxide capture, storage and management technologies is an essential element in the transformation of the national economy. For companies that, for technological reasons, are unable to eliminate CO2 emissions, this is the only way to reduce their carbon footprint. That is why ORLEN is building strong competencies that will allow it to offer carbon dioxide management services within a few years”, said Daniel Obajtek, President of the ORLEN Management Board.
According to ORLEN’s announcement, the cooperation with GAZ SYSTEM is an initiative aimed at developing an emissions management service. In September, PGNiG Upstream Norway of the ORLEN Group signed an agreement with Norway’s Horisont Energi AS, the owner of the licence for the Polaris field in the Barents Sea, where carbon dioxide can be stored. The capacity of the Polaris field is estimated at a total of about 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, which will enable storage operations for 12-25 years. The agreement stipulates that PGNiG Upstream Norway will take up to a 50 % stake in the licence and be its operator. Experience gained from the Polaris project will be able to be used in the provision of commercial CO2 sequestration in Poland.
Adrian Andrzejewski