Mr. Solheim demands that StatoilHydro finishes a study of CO2 capture of the LNG-plant at Melkøya by the end of 2010, Norwegian Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reports.
It was the Norwegian Pollution Authority which first sent a request to Erik Solheim’s Ministry last year, and requested him to demand such a survey on CO2 capture in the Snøhvit project.
In 2008 Snøhvit’s LNG-plant at Melkøya emitted more than 1.3 million tons of CO2. A demand of total CO2 capture will probably add several billion EUR of costs to StatoilHydro’s project. Since the plant was opened in 2007 the company has not been able to achieve full production due to several technical problems, adding almost 4 billion EUR to the costs of the gas field project. The problems have also been a vital factor to the high level of CO2 emissions.
Minister Solheim says CO2 capture technology must be made less expensive over time. However, Solheim says he will not hezitate to add extra expenses on StatoilHydro’s Snøhvit project.
StatoilHydros’s answer to the minister’s request is that the company will of course do the survey and then see which demands will come next. As BarentsObserver have previously reported, the environmental organization Bellona believes that the development of well functioning CO2 capture at Melkøya could become an example for the developers of the much larger Russian Shtokman gas field.
