Spirit Energy, a joint venture of Centrica plc and Stadtwerke München GmbH (SWM), has launched a plan to convert its depleted South Morecambe and North Morecambe natural gas fields and Barrow gas terminals into a carbon storage cluster.
The cluster would provide a carbon storage solution for the UK’s industrial sector and could be one of the biggest carbon storage and hydrogen production clusters in the UK, Spirit Energy said in a release Jan. 31.
Under current projections, the project has the capacity to store up to one gigaton of CO₂, the company said.
The fields are part of the three-field Morecambe Hub in the East Irish Sea (North Morecambe, South Morecambe, Rhyl). The fields lie some 25 km southwest of Walney Island, across blocks 110/2a, 110/3a, 110/8a, and 113/27b, in water depths of 17-35 m.
The fields are near the end of their productive life, but Spirit will continue to “maximize use of the gas fields until they are fully depleted to ensure continuity of domestic energy supply.” Work on carbon storage will take place in tandem with gas production until the production stops, predicted in the second half of the decade, the company said (OGJ Online, June 10, 2021).
South Morecambe was discovered in 1974 and was the first to be developed, with production starting in 1985. The field has been developed using seven fixed jacket platforms, including the three-platform manned central processing complex, four normally unmanned installations, and 36 development wells. Gas is exported via a 36-in. dedicated pipeline to the Barrow gas terminals.
North Morecambe was discovered in 1976, with first gas in 1994. The development includes the normally unmanned DPPA platform which acts as the main gathering hub for the area, 10 development wells and a 12-in pipeline to the Barrow gas terminals near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, before entry into the National Transmission System.
Because the location of the site is near the Port of Barrow, the project will be able to accept CO₂ transported by ship.
The plan is dependent upon a license granted by the North Sea Transition Authority and is subject to other regulatory approvals.