The Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities has granted the licence for the area near Thorning in Jutland as a result of the third licensing round for CO₂ storage in Denmark. The licence has been awarded Norne Thorning Storage ApS, with Nordsøfonden participating in the licence on behalf of the Danish state with a 20 percent share.
“Today is a really good day for Nordsøfonden. The Thorning licence has now been awarded, which means that exploration activities can begin. These activities will build on the initial studies carried out by GEUS and help us better understand the subsurface potential in the area,” says Lene Borch Frøtlund, CEO of Nordsøfonden.
If the area is assessed as suitable for CO₂ storage following the exploration phase, the licensee can apply for permission to store CO₂.
With the Thorning licence, Nordsøfonden now holds a total of seven licences for CO₂ exploration and storage. The Thorning licence is the fourth onshore licence awarded in Denmark.
“CCS technology has the potential to contribute significantly to Denmark’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the Danish State subsurface resource company, our primary task is to create value from Denmark’s subsurface resources – and we do this in part by playing a key role in both current and future licences for CO₂ exploration and storage. Therefore we welcome the new licence at Thorning and look forward to starting our collaboration with Norne Thorning Storage ApS,” concludes Lene Borch Frøtlund.
The Danish Energy Agency is currently processing applications to explore the subsurface for CO₂ storage in several nearshore areas in Denmark as part of the fourth licensing round.
Read Danish Energy Agency's press release (Danish version only)
