DNV Advances Skylark to Enable Safe Scaling of CO2 Pipelines for Carbon Capture and Storage

(DNV) DNV is advancing Skylark, a joint industry project to enhance our understanding of carbon dioxide (CO₂) pipeline operations ensuring regulators and operators globally have access to the highest quality of information to make their decisions.

Developed in collaboration with the UK Health and Safety Executive Science Division (HSE SD), University of Arkansas, Ricardo’s UK National Chemical Emergency Centre, the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), this three-year initiative comes as carbon capture and storage (CCS) networks must expand dramatically to meet climate goals.

Early engagement has been strong, including a well-attended 2024 workshop at DNV’s Spadeadam facility, which showcased prototype testing equipment and preliminary dispersion models.

The project aligns with DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2024 report, which forecasts that CO₂ pipelines will need to grow from 9,500 km today to over 200,000 km by 2050 to support industrial decarbonization. Skylark will provide essential safety insights through advanced modeling, real-world testing, and emergency response analysis to enable this expansion.

A key focus is understanding CO₂ behaviour during pipeline incidents, including dispersion patterns under different terrain and weather conditions. Large-scale experiments at DNV’s Spadeadam Research and Testing Centre will study crater formation and dispersion, while wind tunnel testing at the University of Arkansas will complement field studies. Emergency response protocols will also be tested in real-world scenarios with first responders. These insights will help operators enhance safety measures and regulators strengthen frameworks as CCS deployment accelerates.

Hari Vamadevan, Senior Vice President and Regional Director, UK & Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV, explained: “Skylark addresses one of the biggest barriers to CCS adoption—confidence in safe operations at scale. By combining decades of pipeline expertise with new technologies, we’re helping build the infrastructure needed to meet net-zero targets.” The project tackles four fundamental challenges: analyzing pipeline failure impacts on crater formation and CO₂ dispersion; studying how terrain affects dense vapour clouds; validating emergency response protocols; and establishing safe venting procedures for routine operations.

Over its three-year duration, Skylark will validate CO₂ dispersion models for varied terrain, develop emergency response best practices, and inform safety guidelines for pipeline routing, risk assessment and venting.

The initiative has already attracted significant industry interest, with nine organizations participating in the project. Vamadevan added: “With major experiments beginning in 2025, we invite additional industry partners to join this collaborative effort. The findings will directly inform DNV’s CCS Safety Guidelines and help operators worldwide deploy pipelines with confidence.”

Paul Monks Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ( DESNZ) said: "CCUS will be a critical tool in delivering on our Net Zero commitments, and decarbonisation globally. A robust regulatory framework to ensure the safe deployment of this technology across the world is paramount. Initiatives like Skylark, bringing together the best expertise to test our assumptions and deploy real-world scenarios with first responders will be a vital tool in ensuring the success of this technology and therefore in meeting our climate goals."