Aquaterra fabrication milestone supports UK offshore CCS development
(WO) — Aquaterra Energy has moved its Recoverable Abandonment Frame (RAF) system into fabrication for deployment on the Northern Endurance Partnership carbon capture and storage (CCS) project offshore the UK.
The RAF system is designed to support re-entry, remediation and permanent abandonment of legacy offshore wells that could pose integrity risks to future CO2 storage sites.
According to Aquaterra, the technology enables a vertical well re-entry tieback method intended to improve long-term well integrity management for offshore CCS developments in mature basins.
The company said the system could reduce abandonment costs and remediation timelines while supporting safe management of historic wells intersecting planned carbon storage reservoirs.
Fabrication is being carried out in Great Yarmouth, England, by Derrick Services, with additional equipment sourced through UK-based suppliers.
Aquaterra secured multiple contracts tied to the Northern Endurance Partnership project in 2025 as CCS development activity accelerated across the UK North Sea.
“Carbon storage will be critical to industrial decarbonization, but projects cannot scale without confidence in the safe management of legacy wells,” said George Morrison, CEO of Aquaterra Energy.
The Northern Endurance Partnership provides offshore transportation and storage infrastructure for the UK’s East Coast Cluster industrial decarbonization initiative. The project is expected to support injection rates of up to 4 million metric tons of CO2 annually beginning in 2028.
Industry participants continue to identify legacy offshore wells as one of the primary technical and regulatory challenges facing large-scale offshore CCS deployment in mature producing basins.
