Italian energy company ENI has drilled the first carbon storage appraisal well in the depleted Hewett gas field, 18 miles off the coast of Norfolk in the southern North Sea.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a new technology that prevents CO2, primarily produced by industry, from being released into the atmosphere by capturing it and storing it underground.

It has been hailed as a major player in the fight to mitigate climate change.

Carbon capture and storage explained(Image: FutureTracker)

The depleted Hewett field, which was shut down in 2023, is thought to be capable of storing up to 10 million tonnes of emissions from Bacton and the wider Thames Estuary area each year.

It also has the potential to store CO2 from emitters across Europe, which would either be shipped over or transported via a pipeline directly from the continent.

The well is the first to be drilled on land licensed by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) as part of the world’s first large-scale carbon storage licensing round in 2023.

Work began in May, with contractors drilling down 270 feet from the Valaris 72 rig and performing a nitrogen injection test, before plugging and abandoning the well.

Contractors drilled down 270 feet from the Valaris 72 rig in the North Sea(Image: Supplied)

It will assess the carbon storage potential of the UK continental shelf, the area of seabed surrounding the UK.

The basin has up........

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