Our other carbon dioxide injection project is on the In Salah gas field in the Algerian Sahara.
The field is operated jointly by Sonatrach, BP and StatoilHydro. Both for business and technical reasons, the carbon dioxide is separated from the natural gas in the same way as on Sleipner.
The separation is based on an amine process, as it is on the Sleipner and Snøhvit fields. The volume of injected CO2 has increased from 186,000 tonnes in 2004 to 687,000 tonnes in 2007, and will eventually reach 1.2 tonnes per year.
The carbon dioxide is stored in the same layer as the natural gas, but at a safe distance, in the water zone out on the flank. The same cap rock that keeps the natural gas in place will also keep the carbon dioxide safely stored.
