The Northern Endurance Partnership secures a seabed lease from The Crown Estate, paving the way for the UK’s first large-scale offshore CO2 storage project, with operations anticipated to start in 2028.
The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) has moved from planning to delivery after signing a commercial seabed lease with The Crown Estate that clears the way for the United Kingdom’s first large-scale offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to enter construction.
According to Carbon Herald, the agreement secures NEP’s route for an offshore pipeline and the Endurance storage complex, a deep saline aquifer in the southern North Sea with combined capacity across nearby formations estimated at around 1 billion tonnes of CO2. The Crown Estate lease is framed as the nation’s inaugural commercial instrument for permanent offshore CO2 storage and the associated pipeline corridor, creating a precedent for subsequent projects around the UK coastline.
The move follows a sequence of regulatory and commercial milestones achieved late in 2024 and early 2025. NEP reached financial close on the first tranche of onshore CO2 transport infrastructure for Teesside and concluded financing for the offshore export pipeline, while obtaining the UK’s first offshore carbon storage permit from the North Sea Transition Authority, industry sources report. Construction work is already mobilising and the partnership remains on course to begin operations in 2028, with injection activities scheduled to continue into the mid-2050s.
NEP is an incorporated joint venture led by bp, Equinor and TotalEnergies. TotalEnergies holds a reported 10% stake and the partnership has indicated an initial storage throughput target of up to 4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, intended to serve early capture projects including Net Zero Teesside Power and future industrial abatement schemes across the East Coast Cluster. Industry commentators and project partners have characterised Endurance as critical infrastructure to decarbonise energy-intensive sectors such as power generation, chemicals and heavy industry while supporting regional employment and supply-chain activity in north‑east England.
Key delivery contractors have been announced as the scheme transitions to execution. According to corporate releases, Xodus provided technical advisory support to achieve financial close and confirmed plans for a roughly 145 km offshore pipeline and subsea injection works, with installation activity expected to commence in mid-2025. SLB has been appointed to deliver carbon storage site development services, including the construction of six injection wells under its Sequestri™ portfolio, while Halliburton will supply completions and downhole monitoring hardware, largely manufactured at its Arbroath facility.
The partnership’s proponents argue the project will function as a backbone for a broader UK carbon management network, unlocking cumulative investment in transport and storage that could accelerate deployment of capture projects nationally. According to TotalEnergies’ statement, the infrastructure includes an onshore gathering network, compression facilities and subsea injection systems located around 1,000 metres beneath the seabed.
For developers, industrial offtakers and supply‑chain firms focused on decarbonisation, Endurance presents a tangible example of project sequencing: securing seabed rights and regulatory permits, achieving financial close, appointing specialist service providers and moving quickly into fabrication and drilling. The lease with The Crown Estate also establishes a commercial template that could reduce transactional uncertainty for future UK storage licences.
Risks remain. Deliverability will depend on timely execution of offshore construction, well drilling and commissioning, as well as sustained demand from capture projects to fill the initial 4 Mtpa capacity and to justify further expansion of storage operations into the mid-21st century. Market signals for long‑term offtake, clear regulatory oversight and continued government support for cluster development will be pivotal to realising the broader ambitions NEP’s backers articulate.
As the UK seeks to scale industrial decarbonisation, the Endurance project will be watched as a test case for whether ambitious storage capacity, aggregated transport infrastructure and private–public co‑investment can be translated into operational CO2 removal at scale.
- https://carbonherald.com/first-uk-offshore-ccs-project-moves-to-construction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=first-uk-offshore-ccs-project-moves-to-construction – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.iom3.org/resource/lease-signed-for-uk-s-first-ccs-project-ahead-of-offshore-construction.html – The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) and The Crown Estate have signed a lease agreement for the UK’s first commercial-scale offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. This lease covers NEP’s offshore pipeline corridor and the Endurance carbon storage site, a large saline aquifer located approximately 140 km offshore in the southern North Sea. The lease will remain in place until injection operations are completed, currently expected in the mid-2050s. This agreement establishes the UK’s first commercial lease for permanent offshore CO₂ storage and associated pipeline infrastructure, creating a regulatory and commercial template for future CCS developments around the country’s coastline.
- https://www.carboncapturejournal.com/news/northern-endurance-partnership-and-the-crown-estate-sign-lease-for-ccs-project/7112.aspx?Category=all – The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) and The Crown Estate have signed a lease agreement for the UK’s first commercial-scale offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. This lease covers NEP’s offshore pipeline corridor and the Endurance carbon storage site, a large saline aquifer located approximately 140 km offshore in the southern North Sea. The lease will remain in place until injection operations are completed, currently expected in the mid-2050s. This agreement establishes the UK’s first commercial lease for permanent offshore CO₂ storage and associated pipeline infrastructure, creating a regulatory and commercial template for future CCS developments around the country’s coastline.
- https://www.xodusgroup.com/news/2025/xodus-supports-northern-endurance-partnership-move-to-financial-close/ – Xodus Group has supported the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) in achieving financial close for the UK’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The project involves the installation of a 145 km offshore pipeline and the drilling and installation of wells to enable CO₂ injection into the Endurance reservoir. The work was delivered by an integrated team across bp and Xodus, drawing on different disciplines from Xodus, including the Geohazards division in the US, which supported with the analysis of geophysical data. Construction is expected to commence in mid-2025, with start-up expected in 2028.
- https://www.totalenergies.com/news/press-releases/northern-endurance-partnership-launches-first-ccs-project-uk-participation – The Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) has announced financial close, allowing the execution of the UK’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. NEP, in which TotalEnergies holds a 10% shareholding interest, will permanently store up to an initial 4 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. The infrastructure includes an onshore CO₂ gathering network, compression facilities, and a 145 km offshore pipeline connected to subsea injection facilities in the Endurance saline aquifer located around 1,000 meters below the seabed. Construction is expected to start from mid-2025, with first CO₂ storage expected in 2028.
- https://www.slb.com/news-and-insights/newsroom/press-release/2025/slb-awarded-carbon-storage-contract-for-northern-endurance-partnership-project-in-uk – SLB has been awarded a technologies and services contract for carbon storage site development in the North Sea by the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), an incorporated joint venture between bp, Equinor, and TotalEnergies. NEP is developing onshore and offshore infrastructure needed to transport CO₂ from carbon capture projects across Teesside and the Humber to secure storage under the North Sea. SLB will deploy its Sequestri™ carbon storage solutions portfolio to construct six carbon storage wells. The project scope includes drilling, measurement, cementing, fluids, completions, wireline, and pumping services.
- https://www.halliburton.com/en/about-us/press-release/nep-awards-halliburton-contract-ccs-monitoring/ – Halliburton has been awarded a contract to provide completions and downhole monitoring services for the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) carbon capture and storage (CCS) system in northeast England’s East Coast Cluster (ECC). Halliburton will manufacture and deliver the majority of the equipment required for this project from its UK completion manufacturing facility in Arbroath. The center has supported North Sea operations for over 50 years and provides on-site product development and testing resources alongside advanced manufacturing capabilities to support efficient production and the delivery of equipment.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article reports on a lease agreement signed on 22 January 2026 between the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) and The Crown Estate for the UK’s first large-scale offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. This is a recent development, with no evidence of prior reporting on this specific lease agreement. However, the broader project has been covered in previous press releases and news articles, such as TotalEnergies’ announcement in December 2024 and Hydrocarbon Engineering’s coverage in January 2025. ([totalenergies.com](https://totalenergies.com/news/press-releases/northern-endurance-partnership-launches-first-ccs-project-uk-participation?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article includes direct quotes from TotalEnergies’ Senior Vice President Arnaud Le Foll, stating, “We are very pleased to be a part of this significant moment in the development of the UK’s CCS industry.” ([totalenergies.com](https://totalenergies.com/news/press-releases/northern-endurance-partnership-launches-first-ccs-project-uk-participation?utm_source=openai)) A search for this quote reveals it was first used in TotalEnergies’ press release from December 2024. The repetition of this quote raises concerns about the originality of the content. Additionally, the article does not provide direct quotes from NEP or The Crown Estate representatives, which would have added credibility and depth to the reporting.
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The article is published on IOM3, a reputable organisation in the materials, minerals, and mining sectors. However, the content appears to be a press release or closely paraphrased from one, lacking independent journalistic analysis. This reliance on a single source without additional verification or commentary diminishes the overall reliability of the information presented.
Plausability check
Score:
8
Notes:
The reported lease agreement aligns with previous announcements about the NEP’s progress, including TotalEnergies’ press release from December 2024 and Hydrocarbon Engineering’s coverage in January 2025. ([totalenergies.com](https://totalenergies.com/news/press-releases/northern-endurance-partnership-launches-first-ccs-project-uk-participation?utm_source=openai)) The details about the Endurance carbon store and its capacity are consistent with earlier reports. However, the lack of new, independently verified information in this article raises questions about its newsworthiness and originality.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): FAIL
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The article primarily repurposes content from a press release issued by TotalEnergies in December 2024, with minimal independent verification or additional sources. The repetition of quotes and reliance on a single source without independent analysis diminishes the credibility and originality of the reporting. Given these factors, the content does not meet the standards for publication under our editorial guidelines.
