Facilities

To ensure the safe operation of CCS value chains, associated facilities—both onshore and offshore—must be designed, built, operated, and maintained in line with local regulations and international standards. For offshore installations, this includes the topside equipment and associated infrastructure. Proper design, construction, and upkeep of these facilities is essential to reducing risks, maintaining containment, and meeting environmental and safety requirements.

Verification of CCUS facilities and equipment ensures that such infrastructure meets safety, environmental, and performance standards throughout its lifespan. Independent verifiers check the integrity and functionality of key systems—like CO₂ processing plants, liquefaction and compression systems, and injection facilities—to confirm they are safe, reliable, and compliant with regulations. This process may include regular inspections, surveys, audits, and assessments—along with design verification—to ensure that equipment and facilities remain safe to use and meet regulatory requirements.

Key safety and compliance risks for facilities

Facilities handling CO₂ involve critical processes and equipment including compression, dehydration, liquefaction, transfer to ships or rail, intermediate storage and injection. Each step introduces specific risks related to safety and compliance, which must be effectively addressed and managed to ensure operational integrity.

Key safety and compliance risks for facilities include: 

• High-pressure failures: Seal or valve malfunctions in compressors can lead to CO₂ releases, posing safety risks and regulatory non-compliance
• Thermal hazards: Overheating of compression systems due to insufficient cooling can result in equipment damage or fire risks. Likewise, handling high pressure CO₂ can lead to risks associated with low temperatures
• Corrosion risks: Incomplete dehydration allows water in the CO₂ stream to form carbonic acid, this can lead to pipeline and equipment corrosion and compromise material integrity
• Impurity risks: CO₂ from industrial processes may contain impurities like water, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, or volatile organic compounds. These impurities can cause corrosion in equipment
• Emergency response: CO₂ has unique characteristics that must be considered in safety protocols.  

DNV supports the safety, efficiency, and integrity of CO₂ facilities

DNV provides verification services to ensure the safety and reliability of CCUS facilities and equipment. These services include independent third-party verification and internal company verification (owner’s engineer), tailored to each project’s needs. Using a risk-based approach, DNV can assess all phases or specific stages of a CCUS project, focusing on the effectiveness of safety measures and risk controls. This process helps maintain the integrity of facilities and equipment, ensuring they meet safety and regulatory standards for both onshore and offshore installations.
DNV’s verification services for facilities include, but are not limited to:

• Development of a robust technical assurance framework: DNV ensures verification activities align with the entire project lifecycle, from initiation through design, construction, and operations. This framework follows DNV-SE-0696 Verification and certification of carbon capture, utilization, and storage facilities, ensuring safety and regulatory requirements are met at every phase
• Acting as an independent technical advisor for onshore/offshore facilities: DNV provides expertise to verify that all technical components of the facility and the Balance of Plant (BoP) comply with safety standards throughout the entire lifecycle, from design to operations
• Providing regulatory support: DNV offers guidance to ensure compliance with relevant regulations, helping mitigate compliance risks and fostering safe, efficient operations throughout the project.

These services deliver key benefits for operators, owners, and stakeholders, including:

• Structured regulatory compliance process and support
• Early identification of gaps and risks
• Effective stakeholder communication
• Integration of independent verification into the project model.

DNV offers a verification and certification framework (DNV-SE-0696) that helps ensure CCUS facilities are developed safely and in compliance with regulations. This adds value for customers and reduces risks across the entire project.