UK's Endurance CCS Project Expands Seabed Seismic Monitoring Ops

The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) has expanded its offshore monitoring program for the Endurance CO2 storage project in the UK North Sea, awarding Sonardyne additional work to provide passive seismic monitoring services.

The services have been added to Sonardyne's existing contract for environmental monitoring at the Endurance site, located approximately 75 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast.

Under the expanded scope, Sonardyne will adapt, deploy and operate advanced ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs), manufactured by German technology company KUM, on the seabed above the Endurance storage reservoir.

The equipment will gather baseline seismic data ahead of storage operations, helping to characterize naturally occurring seismic activity in the area. The services could also continue during CO2 injection to provide longer-term subsurface monitoring.

The OBS monitoring scope was scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026, with the first seismic data expected to be delivered to NEP one year later.

The Endurance project is expected to begin storing CO2 in 2028, becoming the UK's first operational carbon capture and storage (CCS) project.

The initial phase is expected to store up to 100 million tonnes of CO2 in the Endurance aquifer over 25 years.

NEP is developing infrastructure to transport and store CO2 captured from industrial emitters in Teesside and the Humber, collectively known as the East Coast Cluster, with Endurance and neighboring storage sites forming part of the planned storage network.

“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,” said Michael McGhie, Technical Manager at NEP.

The additional award builds on Sonardyne's existing work to provide environmental monitoring services across the Endurance site, broadening its role in the project's offshore surveillance program.