Initial drilling for the Havstjerne CO2 storage initiative, located offshore Norway, has confirmed that the site holds promising geological conditions for long-term carbon dioxide injection and storage.
Situated in the southern part of the Norwegian North Sea, around 100 kilometers (160 miles) southeast of Egersund and close to key northern European ports, the project sits within a licensed CO2 storage area.
The license is now operated by Harbour Energy, which secured a 60% stake following its acquisition of much of Wintershall Dea’s global exploration and production assets.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) reported that the primary aim of the exploration well — designated 9/6-1 and drilled using the Deepsea Nordkapp semi-submersible rig in 90 meters of water (~300 ft) — was to assess the suitability of subsurface formations from the Mid-Jurassic to the Upper Triassic period for storing carbon emissions.
Key geological findings included:
- 115 meters (~377 ft) of uniform shale in the Tau Formation, acting as a primary caprock
- 58 meters (~190 ft) of sealing shale and compact siltstone within the Egersund Formation
- 97 meters (~318 ft) of high-quality sandstone reservoir in the Sandnes Formation
- 52 meters (~170 ft) of moderately suitable sandstone in the Bryne Formation
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The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,366 meters (~11,000 ft) and was then safely plugged and abandoned at the Skagerrak Formation, which dates to the Upper Triassic.
Pressure measurements confirmed that the Sandnes and Bryne reservoir zones lie within the expected regional hydrostatic gradient, supporting their integrity for CO2 storage.
Preliminary analysis of the injection test conducted during the drilling campaign suggests a successful outcome, strengthening the potential of Havstjerne as a viable CO2 storage site for future carbon management operations.
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