A Net-Zero Petroleum Industry

Earlier this autumn, Bergen-based research institute NORCE opened the Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources (CSSR). The main objective of this centre will be to help the petroleum industry transition towards clean, zero-emissions energy production. Key research areas will include the electrification of offshore petroleum installations, subsea energy and CO₂ storage, and the use of existing resources to cultivate new knowledge bases for the impending green shift.

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“The CSSR is a long-term research centre, whose aim is to develop new knowledge about the subsurface and specifically to help the oil and gas industry electrify its offshore operations,” said Sarah Gasda, CSSR Head and NORCE Research Director. “Also, we aim to help prepare the petroleum industry for a long-term energy transition”.

Norwegian Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Aasland was in attendance for the opening of the centre, leading the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and praising the initiative.

“In many ways, the CSSR fits like a glove with the policy we want to pursue in both energy and research,” said Minister Aasland. “The key to emissions reduction lies in research and that companies make use of the research”.

Bergen-based benefits

Along with providing a better comprehension of the subsea environment, the CSSR will also endeavour to create updated digital tools and solutions. According to Gasda, the centre will build off the research network and comprehensive knowledge already available in Greater Bergen.

“A lot of the research that NORCE has done in digital innovation has helped to increase the value of offshore oil and gas resources by 10-fold, and even up to 100-fold,” said Gasda. “We have a lot of world-leading expertise at NORCE and the University of Bergen, as well as decades of petroleum research and 20 years of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) research”.

She also commended the cooperation of Bergen-based industry cluster GCE Ocean Technology, which has been pivotal in helping the CSSR bridge the gap between the centre and the “diverse array of tech companies in the region”.

“I think what’s exciting about the Greater Bergen region is that the industries here are relatively smaller from a global perspective, which makes them incredibly agile. I think there are a lot of opportunities for the region to serve as a sandbox for testing these new, green technologies”.

Electrification, storage and the long-term

Electrifying Norway’s petroleum sector via offshore wind energy has been seen as a key step towards the country’s net-zero ambitions. To this end, the CSSR will look to contribute research towards optimising this transition.

“Electrification will be and is already bringing many new challenges and factors to take into account, which the petroleum industry hasn’t had to do before, such as energy costs, intermittency and so on,” said Gasda.

A key challenge will be how to store energy that can be used and carbon emissions that can’t be mitigated. Therefore, a focus of the centre will be on how to use depleted reservoirs (pockets of petroleum and natural gas found below the seabed) to store them.

“We have two different things we’re trying to optimise,” explained Gasda. “One is injecting something underground in hopes that it will stay there (carbon emissions), the other is injecting something underground with the hope of being able to retrieve it (excess energy)”.  

While electrifying offshore petroleum operations and energy/CO₂ storage are critical activities, the centre will also look to address long-term aspirations. This will include hydrogen storage, which will serve as a springboard for a much greater and broader energy transition.

“If we can help establish a better understanding of the use of old petroleum reservoirs, that opens up new avenues,” summarised Gasda. “Starting from a local platform, it’s all about scaling up so that we can create a whole new industry offshore”.

Read more on offshore energy

Building knowledge and competence

As well as researching and developing these innovations, the centre will build off the current industry knowledge base to cultivate new essential competencies.

“The understanding needs to be updated, which is where CSSR comes in,” explained Gasda. “We’ll look at what methods are useful moving forward, what needs to be completely reworked, how we’ll train the next generation, what kind of knowledge and competence will be critical, what will we inherit from the petroleum industry and what needs to be updated”.

In addition to the industry knowledge available in the region, the centre will also look to utilise NORCE’s internal resources.

“I will say that we will use our in-house expertise in mathematics, engineering, software design, reservoir sciences and so on, to look at our options and develop prototypes,” said Gasda.   

Moving forward

Moving forward, the CSSR will look to establish “new partnerships” among the various industry actors in Greater Bergen, who will play a role in providing crucial resources for scaling and commercialisation.

“I believe that there’s a lot of groundwork that’s been laid, the politics in the region leans towards forward-thinking, and the region’s academic landscape is very well-positioned to partner with these industries to help solve these specific challenges,” said Gasda.

“So, I think it makes getting started on these paths relatively easier than in other places”.

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