Sustainability and environmental commitment

LIME PETROLEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Lime is actively seizing opportunities for developing energy projects in the Norwegian Continental Shelf that enhance economic value while engaging and developing its highly qualified workforce, as well as collaborating in the creation of a more sustainable future for generations to come.

Climate change has become a major concern as rising levels of greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere causing disruptions in ecosystems that could be irreversible. Lime is committed to forming part of the solution to slow down climate change and has joined initiatives for energy transformation as the Wind Units project to electrify the Brage field and a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.

Although many efforts have been made in recent years to mitigate climate change, it is evident that a greater amount of CO2 emissions will need to be removed over the next years and decades if net-zero goals for 2050 are to be met. In a world with ambitious goals for decarbonization whilst acknowledging the need for energy, having a strategy for carbon reduction is a required necessity.

A major concern to Lime is to reduce our own carbon footprint. Lime seeks to find low-carbon solutions for both exploration and production. Reducing the number of dry wells drilled, by employing state-of-the-art exploration technology to select drilling locations, is one aspect. Direct reduction of emissions during operations is another. For the drilling of the Fat Canyon exploration well in the fall of 2021, the Borgland Dolphin semisubmersible rig was chosen. Part of the rig-decision was the fact that Borgland Dolphin, according to Rystad Energy, has one of the lowest carbon footprints for all the rigs operating on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Lime is also working closely with the partners in the Brage unit to electrify the platform - the Brage Climate Response Program. This will not only reduce the CO2 footprint for producing the oil and gas but will also result in more gas for export to a gas-starved European continent. Several solutions have been considered for electrification, including cables from land, and offshore wind turbines. Currently offshore wind is looking like the most likely solution, with a possible start-up in 2024, reducing CO2 emissions by some 60%.

Carbon capture and permanent storage in geological formations will play an integral role in helping reduce global emissions. Lime’s analyses considering the number of carbon capture projects in Europe, the time that it takes to develop them, and the levels of CO2 emitted by industrial sites, suggest that there will be a shortage in CO2 storage capacity of up to 40 million tonnes per year by 2030.

Loen Birksdalsbreen National Park, Norway Seven Sisters, Sognefjord, Norway

In view of the need to fill this gap, Lime decided to participate in the Carbon Capture and Storage joint industry project (JIP) with Nautilus Carbon Services involving five industries. The Nautilus JIP project aims to secure an optimal CO2 storage site in Northwest Europe. The project started with a kick-off meeting in September 2021 and by the end of the year 2021, an initial screening assessment of approximately 20 storage sites on the Norwegian Continental Shelf had been carried out. From this, three storage sites were selected to be assessed in detail and determine the feasibility, capacity, and security of each storage site, along with an economic evaluation. A review of the Carbon Capture and Storage value chain identified the main cost drivers and benchmarked them against selected full-scale ongoing projects in Norway and elsewhere in Europe. The plan forward is to focus on one of the assessed storage sites, that has proven to present the best qualities for carbon storage. Further analysis and detailed interpretation are to be conducted, as well as a definition of the viable business case for the chosen location, eyeing a possible concession application before the end of 2022. CO2 storage at the site could then possibly start as soon as 2027.

Lime being part of the solution to climate change mitigation is vital to the world in general, both to mitigate climate change, but also to ensure the world has energy; and is thus key for creating value for its stakeholders.