Carbon dioxide storage
Gas has remained safely trapped in geological structures such as sandstone reservoirs, like the ones in Liverpool Bay, for millions of years. These reservoirs are deep below the surface of the seabed. The Liverpool Bay CO₂ store will be up to 1km below the seabed and approximately 20 miles offshore. Hundreds of metres of shale lie over the top of these sandstone reservoirs, making an impermeable layer which traps the gas in place. The CO₂ will be stored in the same way as the original natural gas and will remain safely contained in the depleted natural gas reservoirs.
The Pipeline has been designed to comply with well-established codes and standards, the applicable UK Regulations (including the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996) and industry best practices. Together with detailed safety assessments, operation and integrity management systems, these will ensure the potential for any leakage of CO₂ is minimised and risks are as low as reasonably practicable.
Regulations
LBCCS has extensive experience designing, building, and operating safe and effective high-pressure gas pipelines and it will use this expertise to develop the Pipeline to the highest safety standards.
The UK is home to a range of high-hazard industries and has developed a world-class safety regulatory regime. The UK Government regulates all CCS projects, its infrastructure and its operation. The safety of the Pipeline will be regulated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). Both regulatory bodies have a long track record of effectively regulating safety in the UK hydrocarbon sector.
Monitoring
LBCCS will carefully monitor the Pipeline, throughout all the operation phases, CO₂ transportation, injection and safe containment within the reservoir, using state of the art techniques.