DNV has issued a Statement of Feasibility for Aker BP's and Höegh Evi’s concept to inject CO₂ directly from shuttle carriers into subsea wells for permanent storage at the Atlas project on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
Atlas is intended to inject up to 6 million tonnes of CO₂ a year in its initial phase, with potential for further expansion. The licence carries an estimated total storage capacity of 150 million tonnes; Aker BP is targeting first injection around 2031, followed by more than 25 years of operation. By providing storage of captured emissions, projects such as Atlas could support the decarbonization of European industries whose CO₂ emissions are difficult to avoid at source.
Aker BP is developing Atlas around a preferred subsea concept in which shuttle carriers operated by Höegh Evi would transport liquefied CO₂ to the storage site for direct injection into the reservoir. This approach would avoid the need for new onshore facilities, cross-border pipelines and permanent offshore structures, offering a more scalable and flexible route to storage while retaining pipeline transport as a future option. The concept is intended to connect multiple European industrial clusters to high-quality offshore storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
DNV's assessment covered the offshore infrastructure required to transfer CO₂ from the carrier and inject it into the reservoir. DNV identified the concept's main technical challenges and uncertainties and considers them manageable at this stage of development, establishing that the concept is feasible within the scope assessed. The Statement of Feasibility (SoF) was developed using the technology qualification methodology set out in DNV-RP-A203 and DNV-SE-0160. These standards provided the basis for identifying key technical challenges and evaluating whether they can be managed through further design maturation and verification activities. The assessment established that the concept is feasible within the scope considered.
This new assessment follows earlier DNV Approvals in Principle (AiPs) for both the liquefied CO₂ carrier and the floating CO₂ reception and conditioning terminal (FCSO) being developed by Höegh Evi. Together, these assessments cover key elements of the planned value chain from CO₂ aggregation and marine transport through to offshore injection.