CCS - the key to achieving the 2030 goal

This would be the dream headline in the papers, five years from now, if it was up to the industrial partners in the Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources (CSSR).

The centre was officially opened in Bergen by the Minister of petroleum and Energy, Terje Aasland last week.

The main ambitions for CSSR are to provide the knowledge required for the Norwegian petroleum industry to transition to zero-emissions production and clean energy resources in the next decades.

Bridging science and industry

CSSR will advance subsurface research in three focus areas to improve the knowledge base, advance digital tools, and develop a set of integrated tools to help achieve zero-emissions and long-term value for fields on the Norwegian continental shelf.

These areas are again coupled with industry-oriented research targets, but how do you bridge or burst the “bubble” of science and the “bubble” of industry asked Jon Hellevang, R&D Manager during a debate with the industrial partners in the centre?

To secure an optimal knowledge and competence exchange between the different stakeholders in the centre, it’s all about “translation”, said Jan Arild Skjervheim from Equinor. – About going from the big picture and understanding the small details.

An open ecosystem and an open code

Other success factors that were mentioned during the debate were to plan for a broad implementation from day one. To realise that there is a “machinery” around every solution that is impacted by any change. Furthermore, the ability to work across centres – keeping an open mind, arrange for an open ecosystem and an open code.

– If you are developing a code the default should be open source, Skjervheim said.

To integrate a team of experts to work in a common direction is key according to Pierre LeGuern from Schlumberger. – Moreover, the integration of data, expertise and transparency in the exchange during the R&D projects is important, he stated.

– Do not kill innovation to start with because of the expectancy of the end user for example. We should dare to fail, but learn from failures, added Geir Terje Eigestad, from WintershallDEA

On a learning path

– To quote our CEO; the new energy mix is unknown, and we are discovering new challenges every time we start a new project, answered LeGuern, upon Hellevang’s question about emerging opportunities the centre could connect to.

– We are on a learning path so what we need to do; is to ensure we are prepared for any type of challenges and that we have all the tools, communication, domain expertise, data etc. then we can start to address the new challenges, he explained.
For young students it is important to note that it is not only what you deliver, but also how you deliver it. The panel strongly encourage students to connect with different competences to learn and get new insight, even if their task is quite narrow.

At the end of the debate the panel was asked to suggest the dream headline in the papers, five years from now.

– Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) - the key to achieving the 2030 goal, Eigestad concluded.