According to data obtained by DeSmog, Norwegian energy giant Equinor had been publicly claiming a CO2 storage amount of approximately one million metric tons of CO2 annually at Sleipner – a figure substantially higher than the actual amount.
An investigation by DeSmog revealed that Equinor had in fact only captured and stored 106,000 tons of carbon dioxide at the facility in 2023 (official figures from the Norwegian Environment Agency).
This discrepancy prompted Equinor to remove the inaccurate information from its website. A company spokesperson attributed the error to an outdated and static webpage.
Sleipner, located in the North Sea, has been operational since 1996. The gas field naturally contains high concentrations of CO2, which is separated during the gas purification process and subsequently injected beneath the seabed for permanent storage.
This project has been frequently cited by both Equinor and carbon capture and storage (CCS) proponents as a successful demonstration of the technology’s viability in addressing climate change.
However, it’s important to note that Sleipner has also faced challenges, including cost overruns and missed targets throughout its history.
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Equinor is strategically positioning itself to become a major player in the European Union’s ambitious plans to significantly expand CCS capacity.
Norway, although not an EU member, currently hosts nearly all of Europe’s operational CCS capacity. This capacity is primarily attributed to two projects operated by Equinor: Sleipner and Snøhvit, located in the North Sea and Barents Sea, respectively.
According to data from the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA), these two sites collectively stored 763,000 tons of CO2 in 2023, which represents less than half of their combined storage capacity of 1.7 million tons, DeSmog says.
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Equinor’s public statement claiming to capture “about 1 million tons of CO2 each year” at the Sleipner project appears to have originated in 2022, as evidenced by archived internet data. This claim was published on the company’s official CCS webpage.
However, data from the NEA, the regulatory body for the oil and gas industry, reveals that Sleipner captured only 260,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2022.
Following a request for data on carbon capture at Sleipner in October, Equinor declined to provide the information, leading DeSmog to obtain the relevant figures directly from the NEA, which compiles data based on self-reporting by companies.
