NEWS

CO2 sequestration today is almost exclusively an onshore operation, involving networks of pipelines, compressors, and teams of personnel to oversee it all. In a newly released video, Equinor has proposed another idea: a fleet of electrically-powered submarines that will carry CO2 to subsea injection sites autonomously.

Each of these “subsea shuttles” would be 135 m (443 ft) long, roughly equivalent to eight semi-trucks parked one after another, but significantly taller. Equinor has shared the concept so far only on its LinkedIn page where it said the idea was the result of a collaboration between an inventor and experts in IT, 3D printing, and CO2 management.

In the computer animation, multiple shuttles are shown transiting to and from a subsea installation that also features resident underwater vehicles—itself an emerging but not fully realized concept.