Aquaterra's fabrication milestone bolsters the UK's offshore CCS development.

Aquaterra Energy has initiated the fabrication of its Recoverable Abandonment Frame (RAF) system for the Northern Endurance Partnership carbon capture and storage (CCS) project located offshore in the UK.

The RAF system is intended to facilitate re-entry, remediation, and permanent abandonment of older offshore wells that may pose risks to the integrity of future CO2 storage sites.

According to Aquaterra, the technology employs a vertical well re-entry tieback approach aimed at enhancing long-term well integrity management for offshore CCS initiatives in mature regions.

The company indicated that this system could lower costs associated with abandonment and shorten remediation timelines while ensuring the safe handling of historical wells that intersect with proposed carbon storage areas.

The fabrication process is taking place in Great Yarmouth, England, by Derrick Services, with supplementary equipment obtained from UK suppliers.

Aquaterra secured several contracts related to the Northern Endurance Partnership project in 2025, coinciding with an increase in CCS development activities in the UK North Sea.

“Carbon storage will be vital for industrial decarbonization, but projects cannot expand without assurance of the safe management of existing wells,” remarked George Morrison, CEO of Aquaterra Energy.

The Northern Endurance Partnership aims to provide offshore transportation and storage infrastructure for the UK’s East Coast Cluster decarbonization initiative, with the project expected to enable the injection of up to 4 million metric tons of CO2 annually, starting in 2028.

Industry stakeholders continue to recognize legacy offshore wells as a significant technical and regulatory hurdle for large-scale offshore CCS implementation in established producing basins.