General – CO2 Highway
Fugro is conducting a comprehensive ground investigation for a ground-breaking new CO2 highway, off the coast of Belgium.
The contract is part of a 1,000-kilometre-long planned pipeline by Equinor to transport CO2 between mainland Europe and Norway. Bringing large-scale CO2 storage to the European industry, this project could be a game-changer for CO2 transport and storage in northwestern Europe.
With an ambitious target to come on stream in 2030, it’s vital to avoid delays due to poor design based on incorrect and unsuitable Geo-data. Fugro has been chosen to acquire high quality data that will allow Equinor to quickly calculate ground risk and reduce uncertainty.
The ground investigation is being carried out by WaveWalker, Fugro’s innovative, liveaboard jack-up platform. Jack-up barges are ideally suited for projects in shallow waters, making WaveWalker an effective solution for the site’s coastal location in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
Prior to the site works, Fugro searched unexploded ordnance to ensure WaveWalker could be safely deployed and ensure feasibility for the full ground investigation scope. This includes geotechnical borehole drilling, high-quality sampling, and downhole cone penetration tests (CPT). The ground investigation will provide Equinor with insights for the development of the landfall, and for deep pipeline burial under the Scheur ship channel, which are vital to ensure safe and efficient installation of the CO2 pipeline.
The 1000 km long CO₂ pipeline is planned to start from CO₂ hubs in Zeebrugge, Belgium and Dunkirk, France, connected to storage wells at the Norwegian continental shelf. Fugro’s geotechnical work is part of the maturation of the project ahead of a potential investment decision.
