Aquaterra Energy, a leader in offshore engineering solutions, has secured two major contracts to support the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), the CO2 transportation and storage provider for the East Coast Cluster. The project, which will initially serve three carbon capture projects in the Teesside region is the first offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the UK to receive a carbon storage permit.
The contracts were awarded following successful commercial and technical evaluations. The first will address the challenge of safely re-abandoning two legacy wells – a critical step in securing the long-term integrity of the site for safe CO2 storage. Aquaterra Energy will deploy its Legacy Well Re-entry and Re-abandonment services, which includes its patent-pending Recoverable Abandonment Frame (RAF). This innovative solution enables a vertical well re-entry tieback method that delivers both operational efficiency and assurance that legacy wells won’t compromise the security of stored CO2.
The second contract covers seabed to surface well access services for the drilling of six new CO2 injection subsea wells. Aquaterra will supply its CCS-ready high-pressure subsea drilling riser system, which includes its proprietary AQC-CW connectors. The system, qualified to ISO 13628-7, has been engineered for repeated make-and-break cycles, with replaceable seal rings and field-serviceable components that ensure long-term integrity and performance.
George Morrison, CEO of Aquaterra Energy, commented, “This is a milestone project for CCS in the UK, and we’re proud to be playing a central role. Our early recognition of the engineering challenges facing the sector has enabled us to be at the forefront of this pioneering initiative, providing the solutions needed for enabling long term, large-scale offshore CO2 storage. This project has the potential to set a global benchmark, and we’re excited to help lead the way.”
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) recently awarded the NEP with the first-ever carbon storage permit in the UK, and it is one of the most advanced developments of its kind globally. The project could see first injection could come as early as 2028 with a permitted injection rate of 4 million tonnes annually, making it key in moving the UK towards the government’s target of capturing and storing 20-30 million tonnes of CO₂ per year by 2030.
Ben Cannell, Innovation Director at Aquaterra Energy, added, “Securing both scopes for the Northern Endurance Partnership reinforces confidence in our specialist CCS technology and well access expertise. As the pace of carbon storage projects accelerates, the demand for efficient and CCS compliant drilling intervention and abandonment solutions will continue to grow. With thousands of wells to be both re-abandoned and drilled in the future globally, robust, field-proven systems like ours will be essential to deliver safe and scalable storage in order to de-carbonise hard to abate large static emitters such as steel manufacture, cement production and other large industrial processes quickly.
