Three more years of testing at Technology Centre Mongstad

The Norwegian state and the industry partners Total, Shell and Equinor have signed the agreements that ensure continued operation of Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) from now until the end of 2023.

Increasing interest for testing

“We see an increasing interest for testing at TCM, and we are very pleased that we can continue our important work with testing and research necessary for the deployment of large-scale carbon capture. In addition to the amine plant and chilled ammonia plant, TCM also offers testing in smaller modular scale at our new third site. We also see an increasing interest for our advisory services, and this will play an important role also in the years to come”, says TCM Chairman Roy Vardheim of Gassnova.

TCM is owned by the Norwegian State, through Gassnova (73.9%), together with the industry partners Equinor (8.7%), Shell (8.7%) and Total (8.7%).

“To succeed with the energy transition, we need close collaboration between the industry and supplier. Developing and testing technologies that bring down costs and risks in CCS value streams is key. TCM has contributed to maturing the carbon capture supplier market and will remain relevant with the increasing number of technology suppliers lining up for testing. In Equinor we have an ambition to build hydrogen value chains, and safe and efficient CCS technologies will be important to succeed, “ says Irene Rummelhoff, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Midstream & Processing in Equinor.

“We are pleased to continue to work with TCM and our partners for the coming three years to strengthen TCM’s position as a leading centre for carbon capture expertise that is recognized for the high-quality services it provides. TCM plays a key role in further developing and reducing the cost of CCS – a crucial technology to help society and economies thrive through the energy transition,” says Christiaan van der Eijk, CCS Manager in Norske Shell and TCM board member.

“TCM is a cornerstone in Total’s strategy to tackle climate change by accelerating the development and adoption of innovative CO₂ capture technologies,” says Jeremy Cutler, R&D Manager in Total E&P Norge AS and TCM Board Member.

An important part of the Norwegian carbon capture and storage (CCS) efforts

When the Norwegian government in March this year announced their intent to continue their ownership in TCM for the coming years, the Norwegian Minster of Energy, Tina Bru said: “The Technology Centre at Mongstad is an important part of the Norwegian carbon capture and storage (CCS) efforts, making significant contributions to the development of a necessary tool to mitigate climate change. I appreciate that we have reached an agreement with the partners Equinor, Shell and Total to continue the operation of the facilities. The industrial commitment to TCM is very important for the government. The new agreement provides a good foundation to continue the positive development at TCM”.

Read the full press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Energy regarding the decision of continuing operation at TCM here.

About TCM

TCM, located next to Equinor’s refinery on the west coast of Norway, has a unique scale and flexibility in terms of ability to simulate real-world conditions for post-combustion capture, and ability to test a multitude of different mature and emerging technologies in a cost-effective manner. Large-scale and real-world testing fills an important gap between small-scale piloting and full-scale deployment, and a number of key CCS companies have qualified their technologies at TCM since its inauguration in 2012.

Read more about TCM at www.tcmda.com