DNV is leading Skylark, a three-year joint industry initiative to enhance the safety of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines as carbon capture and storage (CCS) networks expand to meet global climate targets.
Developed in collaboration with the UK Health and Safety Executive Science Division, University of Arkansas, Ricardo’s UK National Chemical Emergency Centre, NCAS, and the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the project aims to deliver practical safety data and guidance for operators and regulators.
With CO2 pipelines projected to grow from 9,500 km (~5,900 miles) today to over 200,000 km (~124,000 miles) by 2050 (according to DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2024), Skylark focuses on understanding CO2 behavior during pipeline failures.
Hari Vamadevan, Senior Vice President and Regional Director, UK & Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV, explained: “Skylark addresses one of the biggest barriers to CCS adoption—confidence in safe operations at scale.
“By combining decades of pipeline expertise with new technologies, we’re helping build the infrastructure needed to meet net-zero targets.”
Full-scale tests at DNV’s Spadeadam site will study gas dispersion and crater formation under varied conditions, while wind tunnel experiments and emergency drills will help validate response strategies.
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Skylark will produce data to refine dispersion models, inform risk assessments, and support the development of regulatory frameworks, ensuring that CO2 pipeline deployment can scale safely alongside industrial decarbonization efforts.
Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said: “CCUS will be a critical tool in delivering on our Net Zero commitments, and decarbonisation globally.”
“A robust regulatory framework to ensure the safe deployment of this technology across the world is paramount. Initiatives like Skylark, bringing together the best expertise to test our assumptions and deploy real-world scenarios with first responders will be a vital tool in ensuring the success of this technology and therefore in meeting our climate goals.”
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