EU awards €225m grant to STARFISH CO2 sequestration project

STARFISH, a large-scale CO2 sequestration project by Altera Infrastructure and Harbour Energy, has been awarded up to €225 million in grant funding by the EU Innovation Fund.

Project STARFISH (Sequestration Technology And Reservoir: Floating Injection and Storage in Havstjerne) will provide an open-access storage concept to enable captured CO2 from multiple sources to be stored in the Havstjerne reservoir (100km southwest of Egersund, Norway).

According to the project’s proposed timeline, Phase 1 is expected to enable 42.75 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent (CO2-eq) to be stored over the first 10 years. The sequestration process for this project is predicted to maintain a relative greenhouse gas (GHG) avoidance potential of 98%. This is in alignment with the European Commission’s goal of achieving 50 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of CO2 storage capacity by 2030.

The funding is subject to the successful conclusion of the Grant Agreement Preparation process. The aim is to finalize this process by Q1 2025, following necessary checks and reviews.

Duncan Donaldson, Acting CEO of Altera Infrastructure, commented: “This funding award is a significant validation of our innovative Stella Maris CCS approach to CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. As we work towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, CCS projects like STARFISH are essential for safely and permanently storing captured CO2. We are honored that the EU Innovation Fund recognizes our commitment to advancing Europe’s industrial carbon management capabilities and grateful for this significant funding award, which is invaluable in helping to develop and construct the critical STARFISH project infrastructure.”

This project is the first of its kind that is designed to transport liquid CO2 via purpose-built ships to an offshore reservoir for storage. The project will feature a specially designed injection unit capable of directly receiving large volumes of liquid CO2 from transport vessels for secure and permanent storage.

Source: Altera Infrastructure