Expro, an energy services provider, has been appointed to deliver integrated well testing services for the UK’s first offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, developed by a joint venture of BP, Equinor, and TotalEnergies. The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) project, located approximately 75 kilometers east of Flamborough Head, includes an onshore CO2 gathering network, compression facilities, and a 145-kilometer offshore pipeline connected to subsea injection facilities in the Endurance saline aquifer, situated about 1,000 meters below the seabed.

The infrastructure will initially support the Teesside-based East Coast Cluster (ECC) projects, including NZT Power, H2Teesside, and Teesside Hydrogen CO2 Capture, selected for connection to NEP in March 2023 by the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Expro’s contract involves appraising two wells in the Endurance reservoir, which has the potential to store up to 450 million tons of CO2. The company will utilize its well testing, fluid sampling, analysis, and subsea technologies. Expro has partnered with Baker Hughes to provide electrical submersible pumps, drill stem testing, downhole data acquisition, and wireless telemetry services for a comprehensive CCS appraisal solution.

Testing of the Endurance aquifer will yield critical data to characterize the reservoir for the ECC field development plan. Iain Farley, Expro’s Regional Vice President for Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, stated: “Our success in securing this contract for the Northern Endurance Partnership demonstrates Expro’s ability to use our reservoir appraisal and well test capabilities, that have traditionally been used for the development of oil and gas reservoirs, to help kick-off the carbon storage industry in the UK.”

NEP has received the UK’s first Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage Licence under the Transportation and Storage Regulatory Investment regime, encouraging private investment in CCS infrastructure. Additionally, the North Sea Transition Authority has granted a CO2 storage permit, enabling CO2 injection once the infrastructure is completed. Construction is set to start in 2025, with initial injection planned for 2027 and operations beginning in 2028. The project is permitted to inject 4 million tons of CO2 annually, potentially storing 100 million tons over 25 years.

Noble Corporation, a U.S.-based offshore drilling company, will drill six wells for NEP using its Noble Innovator jack-up rig, starting in the third quarter of 2026. BP, as the operator, holds a 45% stake in the project, with Equinor also holding 45% and TotalEnergies owning 10%.