Aker Carbon Capture, Sintef To Further Develop CCUS Tech

Aker Carbon Capture and Sintef have entered into a strategic collaboration agreement to further develop carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology.

Sintef said that the new technology would reduce CO2 emissions from industry and energy solutions and that such solutions were a vital part of the green transition in Norway.

“Aker and Sintef have collaborated for more than 25 years and have been pioneers of CCUS which represents a vital solution for our ability to reach net-zero emissions. With this agreement, we accelerate the transfer of science and research to innovation in the market,” said Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO of Sintef.

“Establishing the right partnerships is a critical component of our strategy and we are pleased to further strengthen our collaboration with Sintef to develop new innovative solutions to curb CO2 emissions,” added Valborg Lundegaard, CEO of Aker Carbon Capture.

The International Energy Agency and the United Nations consider CCUS to be crucial for reducing CO2 emissions and limiting global warming to under 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to Sintef, it rose from ‘nice to have to need to have’.

The agreement represents a strategic interaction on a non-exclusive basis, intending to speed up and make available CCUS more widespread. There will be actions to establish more CCUS projects, particularly in the field of CO2 capture.

Through the collaboration, the parties will explore opportunities to develop new capture technologies, share knowledge, and collaborate more closely to generate and follow up on new ideas.

Aker Carbon Capture and Sintef have a long history of collaboration. Most notably, the parties developed a solvent-based capture technology together with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology as part of the eight-year SOLVit program. Aker Carbon Capture is today a leading provider of a proprietary, amine-based carbon capture technology, which is being deployed in the Norwegian full-scale CCUS project Langskip – or Longship in English.

According to the company, through the Norwegian CCS Research Centre, Sintef and its partners have contributed both knowledge and research to Langskip.

“A partnership with Sintef and access to their significant testing infrastructure and knowledge of CCUS and enabling technologies will not only allow Aker Carbon Capture to continue to improve our existing technology portfolio but also enable us to collaboratively identify the next generation CCUS technology and bring it to the market. Through a strategic collaboration we can challenge each other to accelerate the development of new solutions,” said Jim Stian Olsen, CTO of Aker Carbon Capture.

“To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and Norwegian climate ambitions, we need to continue the joint efforts to cut costs, reduce risk, and scale up CCS technologies. Research, development, and innovation efforts done in cooperation between universities, research institutions, and industry actors like Aker Carbon Capture are essential,” said NCCS Director Mona Mølnvik.

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