Completion of appraisal campaign boosts confidence in future UK carbon storage capacity

After a year of exploration beneath the Southern North Sea, Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) has successfully completed one of the most comprehensive carbon storage appraisal programmes undertaken in UK waters. 

The completion of two appraisal wells, C43/30 – 2 (BC39-1) and C44/27-3 (BC37-1), has provided valuable new insights into how the UK could expand its future CO₂ storage beneath the North Sea. Together with extensive geophysical surveys, environmental assessments and offshore studies across both license areas CS006 and CS007, the programme has significantly improved understanding of important geological formations deep beneath the seabed, and their suitability for long-term, secure CO₂ storage. 

The findings will help inform future planning, permitting and environmental assessments, while laying strong foundations for the next phase of development. 

This work will also build the knowledge and confidence needed to support industrial decarbonisation, attract investment and help create the infrastructure required for a low-carbon future. 

The result is a much richer picture of the potential storage sites and the conditions beneath the Southern North Sea. 

Rich Denny, Managing Director of Northern Endurance Partnership, said: 

“The successful completion of the C44/27-3 (BC37-1) appraisal well marks the culmination of a significant programme of work across the CS006 and CS007 storage licences. Together with the positive results from C43/30 (BC39-1), the acquisition of new seismic data and the completion of our offshore survey campaigns, we have established a strong technical foundation for the next phase of project development. 

“These activities demonstrate continued progress in developing the infrastructure needed to support industrial decarbonisation across the Humber and Teesside regions. The knowledge gained through this programme will help us assess the full potential of these storage sites and support future expansion of the UK’s carbon capture and storage network.” 

The completion of the appraisal campaign demonstrates NEP’s continued delivery of commitments agreed with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and Ofgem. It will also give industry greater confidence that the infrastructure it needs to decarbonise can be developed at the scale required to reach the UK’s net zero ambitions. Which can in turn support investment, protect and create skilled jobs, and provide new opportunities for communities and businesses across regions such as Teesside and the Humber. 

NEP will continue evaluating and characterising the sites through 2026 and 2027. After Concept Selection, the project plans to begin Front End Engineering Design (FEED) in 2027, followed by a Final Investment Decision (FID) in 2028.