The Netherlands – Shell Netherlands Offshore Carbon Storage NL (SOCS NL) has been granted an exploration license to store CO2 in so-called saline aquifers under the North Sea. The license covers an area of nearly 1,500 square kilometers about 15 kilometers off the Dutch coast, off the Maasvlakte.
Aquifers are saltwater-bearing layers in the deep subsurface. Shell wants to investigate whether CO2 storage in aquifers can complement the storage of CO2 in empty gas fields in the Netherlands. The company will conduct research into aquifers in the Dutch part of the North Sea to gain insight into the costs of developing storage in aquifers. With this research, Shell also wants to develop expertise on this topic for the Netherlands.
Shell is already currently applying CO2 storage in saline aquifers in countries including Canada, Norway and Australia.
