Underwater technology company Sonardyne will provide passive seismic monitoring services at what is thought to be the UK’s first Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) site.
The services are an addition to an existing contract with the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) and will contribute to a wider monitoring programme at the Endurance CO₂ storage site, situated beneath the North Sea. The site is located approximately 75 km off the coast of Yorkshire.
Sonardyne will be responsible for adapting, deploying, and operating advanced ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) on the seabed above the Endurance storage reservoir. These OBSs are manufactured by German technology company KUM GmbH.
The NEP is enabling carbon captured by emitters in Teesside and the Humber, together known as the East Coast Cluster, to be transported and stored in the Endurance aquifer and neighbouring sites. The initial phase of the project is projected to see up to 100 million tonnes of CO₂ stored in the Endurance aquifer over a 25-year period. This initiative is expected to help achieve net zero goals in one of the UK’s most carbon intensive industrial regions.
This additional work scope at Endurance builds on Sonardyne’s existing contract to provide environmental monitoring services using Sonardyne technologies across the site, further endorsing its capabilities in support of CCS operations.
Michael McGhie, Technical Manager at NEP, commented on the collaboration, “NEP is continuing to lead the UK’s journey to net zero through its development of carbon capture and storage at the Endurance site. Our collaboration with Sonardyne plays a critical role in ensuring carbon is stored safely and securely.”
The passive seismic monitoring services are intended to generate baseline data before NEP operations commence. There is potential for these services to continue into the injection phase to provide longer-term surveillance of the subsurface. The CO₂ storage at the site is expected to begin in 2028, which will make it the first operational CCS project in the UK.
Stephen Auld, Business Development Manager for Custom Projects at Sonardyne, added, “Being trusted to deliver passive seismic monitoring, in addition to environmental monitoring, for the UK’s first CCS project is an honour and highlights Sonardyne’s technical leadership in subsea environmental monitoring. We are committed to supporting NEP’s work to deliver safe, long-term containment of CO₂ offshore and are very proud to contribute our expertise to this landmark project.”
The OBS monitoring scope is slated to start in the summer of 2026, with the first seismic data expected to be delivered to NEP one year later. This data will assist in characterising any naturally occurring seismic activity in the region.
