The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has awarded to Eni a Carbon Dioxide Appraisal and Storage Licence (CS Licence) for the depleted Hewett gas field located 20 km offshore from Bacton, in the Southern North Sea sector of the United Kingdom. Located near the Bacton industrial cluster, the site of Hewett, which could permanently store CO2 from industries in the south-east of England and the Thames estuary area, near London, has a capacity of around 300 MtCO2. Associated infrastructure could potentially be reused.
As of today, the Bacton Thames Net Zero initiative has already attracted 13 industrial partners, through a cooperation agreement, in sectors such as energy, waste disposal and manufacturing. The initial CO2 storage capacity is estimated at around 6 MtCO2/year starting at the end of the current decade and will be progressively increased to over 10 MtCO2/year after 2030, making a significant contribution towards the UK’s target ambition to store 20-30 MtCO2/year.
This new licence in the Bacton Area comes in addition to the one obtained in the Liverpool Bay Area in 2020, where Eni is the CO2 transport and storage operator for the HyNet North West Project.