Net Zero RISE
Research Infrastructure for Subsurface Energy: an academic-industry partnership to deliver the UK’s first deep test sites.
Net Zero RISE is an academic – industry consortium. It brings together Newcastle, Oxford and Durham Universities with industry partners, Third Energy and IGas.
Our aim is to repurpose existing onshore oil and gas infrastructure (deep wells) as test sites. We will explore the challenges and opportunities for subsurface technologies to meet Net Zero.
These facilities will speed up the understanding and commercial development of subsurface technologies. They will do this by:
- providing safe, accessible, and cost-effective facilities
- innovating, developing and testing technologies
- exploring carbon storage, hydrogen storage and geothermal exploitation
How we can work together
Through our Net Zero RISE partnership, we will
- Increase the scale and accelerate the pace of the UK’s deep testing facilities for subsurface technologies.
- Build a strong scientific evidence base to benefit and advance UK competitiveness in energy storage, carbon sequestration and geothermal exploitation
- Support the UK Supply Chain through data acquisition, R&D and training
- Support academic research
Rather than building new infrastructure for research, the most sustainable way to test technologies at depths, pressures and temperatures is to take advantage of existing capital investments, and repurpose existing deep onshore wells.
Our ambition
This is the most cost-effective way of developing the UK’s first deep test site onshore.
Repurposing wells leverages previous capital investment. Using an onshore site with existing wells and geophysical data:
- eliminates the major cost of drilling and engineering
- reduces uncertainty by drawing on knowledge of the well and surrounding geological conditions
- is safer and easier access than offshore locations
We propose developing three test sites:
The UK government plans to deliver CCS (Carbon Capture and Sequestration) at scale. The ambition is that between 75 and 175 MtCO2/year will be captured and stored by 2050 (The Committee on Climate Change).
To reduce the cost uncertainty associated with geological storage and derisk the delivery of the required capacity offshore, Net Zero RISE will deliver the UK’s first dedicated geological CO2 storage test facility.
The UK government has an ambition to deliver 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production by 2030.
This will require new storage infrastructure, estimated as between 12TWh and 51TWh (National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios, 2021).
We will work with industry partners and the UK supply chain to look for innovative solutions to the challenge of H2 storage in porous rocks. Our test sites will be used to develop new technologies to support the UK’s H2 supply chain and led to the development of best practice for MMV at H2 storage sites.
Geothermal has the potential to make a significant contribution to the UKs Net Zero ambitions.
A recent study suggests the UK has the potential to deliver up to 360 geothermal heating projects by 2050(Arup 2021, Deep Geothermal Energy). This could reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for heating homes and buildings.
Our geothermal test site will provide insights to how existing deep wells in the UK could be reused to extract heat from deep underground. We will investigate the potential engineering and environmental challenges associated with reusing existing infrastructure.
Join the partnership
The NetZero RISE partenrship includes:
Academic Partners
Industrial Partners
Would you like to be part of the Net Zero Rise partnership? Can you help develop our knowledge base and grow supply chains?
We’re looking for partners from across the public sector, industry and academia to join us. Together we can achieve the ambition of developing the UK’s first deep test site capable of accelerating the subsurface science, technology and engineering solutions needed to meet Net Zero in the UK.