Perenco Completes UK’s First CO2 Injection Test for CCS

Subscribe to our free newsletter today to keep up to date with the latest renewable energy news.

In a major milestone for the UK’s climate ambitions, Perenco has completed the country’s first offshore CO₂ injection test for carbon capture and storage (CCS). Conducted at the Leman 27H platform in the Southern North Sea, the test represents the first tangible step toward using depleted gas fields as long-term carbon storage sites.

The initiative is part of Project Poseidon, a joint venture between Perenco UK, Carbon Catalyst Ltd, and Harbour Energy. The project aims to repurpose offshore oil and gas infrastructure to permanently store captured carbon dioxide beneath the seabed, proving the technical and economic feasibility of large-scale CCS in UK waters.

This test arrives as the UK positions CCS as a central part of its net-zero strategy. The government plans to capture and store between 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO₂ each year by 2030, increasing to more than 50 million tonnes annually by 2035. The success of this pilot gives those ambitions a real-world foundation.

What happened during the UK’s first offshore CO₂ injection test

The test took place at the Leman 27H platform, a decommissioned gas site in the Southern North Sea. Over several days, fifteen injection cycles were carried out using eleven offshore CO₂ batch refills. The goal was to evaluate how effectively CO₂ could be injected, held, and monitored in a reservoir that once stored natural gas.

Critically, the project repurposed existing infrastructure, including pipelines and wellbores. This limited the need for new construction, helping reduce costs and shorten deployment times—both crucial if the technology is to scale rapidly.

Perenco’s team emphasized safety, data collection, and real-time monitoring. Sensors and tracking systems allowed the team to map CO₂ movement within the reservoir accurately, generating data that will support future engineering and regulatory decisions.

“Not only did we complete the test without incident, but we also collected vital data that will inform Poseidon’s next phase and help define best practices for the UK’s CCS roadmap,” said Armel Simondin, Perenco’s CEO.

Project Poseidon’s long-term vision for large-scale CO₂ storage

Project Poseidon is designed for more than demonstration. It is set to become one of the UK’s most significant carbon storage systems. The project will start with an annual injection capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂, scaling up to more than 40 million tonnes per year at full capacity.

The Leman gas field and adjacent reservoirs, once major sources of natural gas, offer vast storage potential. Estimates suggest they could hold more than one billion tonnes of CO₂ permanently. The project aims to begin operations by 2029 and will build out supporting infrastructure in phases, including pipelines, compression stations, and industrial CO₂ capture partnerships.

Why this matters: economic, environmental and energy implications

This milestone aligns with the UK’s £21.7 billion commitment to CCS development over the next 25 years. The North Sea is central to this strategy because of its geology and legacy infrastructure.

Economically, Poseidon and similar projects can help protect and grow jobs in engineering and energy services. By extending the use of aging oil and gas infrastructure, the initiative offers a transition plan for communities historically reliant on fossil fuel industries.

Environmentally, CCS is one of the few technologies capable of addressing emissions from sectors such as cement, steel, and petrochemicals. When paired with bioenergy or direct air capture, it can even lead to net-negative emissions, which are essential to meeting climate goals.

Poseidon’s success also validates the use of depleted gas fields for storage, not just aquifers or salt caverns. This widens the scope for CCS worldwide, with many other reservoirs now considered viable candidates.

Project Poseidon joins other UK CCS initiatives, including the Viking CO₂ pipeline on the Lincolnshire coast and the Teesside industrial cluster in the northeast. These projects will form the backbone of the UK’s carbon storage network and are expected to support tens of thousands of jobs.

New regulatory measures are under review to streamline permits, standardize emissions tracking, and incentivize private investment. While the costs remain high and public opinion remains cautious, advances in transparency and safety could improve public confidence in the technology.

With infrastructure, regulation, and private-sector support beginning to align, the future for UK-based CCS looks increasingly realistic. The successful test by Perenco is not just a technical accomplishment. It marks the first step in turning the North Sea into one of Europe’s most valuable carbon storage assets.

Sources:

• Perenco Press Release
• UK Parliament