Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Shell Goldeneye CCS project

OVERVIEW

Project type: Technical FEED study

Customer: Shell U.K. Limited

Location: Central North Sea, UK

Date: 2015

CHALLENGE

Shell Goldeneye offshore platform

Shell U.K. Limited, in partnership with SSE, planned to develop the world’s first full-chain gas-fired Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) demonstration project; capturing CO₂ from the existing SSE power station in Peterhead and storing it in the Goldeneye reservoir offshore. The project was chosen as one of two CCS demonstration projects to progress to the next stage of the UK Government’s CCS Commercialisation Competition and required an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in support of the license application.

UNDERSTANDING

Around one million tonnes of CO₂ per annum were to be captured from the existing Peterhead Power Station in northeast Scotland, using post-combustion CCS technology. The CO₂ would be transported by pipeline for long-term storage within the depleted Goldeneye reservoir, a former gas and condensate field located deep under the UK North Sea.

Genesis were required to develop a detailed assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with the offshore scope of the project. As the project involved CO₂ storage, this required an EIA to be carried out and preparation of the Environmental Statement (ES) for submission to the competent authorities.

The comprehensive environmental assessment also informed the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study on the environmental risks to be managed.

The key components of the project considered in the EIA were the existing St. Fergus to Goldeneye pipeline to be used for gas transport offshore, as well as the injection and storage of CO₂ into the reservoir.

SOLUTION

Genesis has substantial experience of conducting EIA’s. The EIA, atmospherics, and modeling departments within the large environmental team encompass the full range of skills required to complete this scope of work.

Genesis developed the EIA to consider the impacts of emissions to air, discharges to sea, seabed disturbance, noise, waste production, and resource use resulting from the proposed offshore CCS development. A wide range of receptors were assessed, such as the human population, flora & fauna, geology, water & air, climate change, material assets, archaeological heritage, and other sea users. All aspects were considered for both planned and unplanned events, as well as an assessment of potential cumulative impacts.

RESULTS

Genesis were able to resource the environmental input to the FEED using the variety of skills and expertise from our in-house environmental team and delivered to the milestones required to achieve the FEED schedule.

The EIA presented the proposed mitigation measures, safeguards and controls to minimise the impact of the offshore scope of the proposed project on the environment.

The carbon dioxide appraisal and storage licence for the project was submitted in March 2015 and it was one of the first CCS projects to be approved in the UK.*

footnote: *Unfortunately, in November 2015 the UK government cancelled its CCS commercialisation competition programme and withdrew funding for the project.