Blog no 1: Off to a good start
The Brevik CCS-project is off to good start after the kick-off in January, and the initial phase is now completed.
-During this first phase the project-organization has been mobilized and all administrative systems have been established and are operative for all project partners and contractors, says Tor Gautestad, Project leader for the Brevik CCS-project.
Contracts signed
During the 14 month long interim period (the period between pre-studies, the political treatment and startup) the most important and biggest contracts for the project have been finally negotiated, and they are now signed. The contract with the main technology provider Aker Carbon Capture which is absolutely largest single-contractor in the project (ACC will deliver the capture and conditioning units, the intermediate CO2-storage tanks and loading facility for the ships. The contract with danish FL Smidth, who’s responsible for the integration between the cement plant and the capture facility is also signed.
Construction started
The pre-construction work started already in the later part of the summer in 2020 with contractor Helge Klyve. This part of the civil works was kickstarted to have a new large electrical room ready for re-routing during the Winter Repair Stop (WRS) in April/May. The job is now finalized. The re-routing of the electrical circuit was a critical task for the project and was executed under supervision of Norcem electrical department during the WRS. The new room was in operation from the 8thof May.
Demolition is also ongoing. The entrepreneur tasked with the job is R3. The dismantling of the cyclone tower on kiln 5 is finalized, and the old storage hall, Premohallen, is also dismantled. Furthermore, several smaller deconstructions are completed, among them the last pieces of kiln 4 and kiln 5 close to the Control room. The upcoming task of dismantle kiln 4 towards the western side, will be complicated. This is mainly because the high concrete building is full of process equipment and the access points for an excavator is strictly limited.
All in all, its high level of pace, and many simultaneous objectives to keep track of, but for now we’re advancing according to schedule.
HSE – the most important factor
There are several contractors and companies involved in the current operations. In total we have approximately 70 external operators involved in demolition and construction tasks now. The demand for continuous focus on HSE is therefore crucial to keep everyone safe. The focus on HSE goes ahead everything else in this project, and we’ve established a quite comprehensive team to follow up on this. One of the key objectives for Brevik CCS-project is to finish it without any serious cases or injuries. In addition, we have also created a plan to minimize the risk for corona. So far, we haven’t had any serious damages or near misses, and no Covid-infections.
