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SLB to Lead Reservoir Work on Havstjerne CCS Project
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SLB has been selected as the strategic reservoir partner for the Havstjerne carbon storage project in the Norwegian North Sea and will deliver integrated reservoir and FEED engineering ahead of a final investment decision. The offshore development, sited about 135 km from Stavanger on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, is operated by Harbour Energy in consortium with Stella Maris CCS, a Yinson Production company. An appraisal well drilled in 2025 confirmed reservoir quality suitable for CO2 injection. The project received €225 million from the EU Innovation Fund in 2025 and has chosen a low‑pressure floating storage and injection concept focused on reliability, low cost and commercial flexibility. This summary is as first reported by Journal of Petroleum Technology.
The Havstjerne project demonstrates how collaboration across the value chain can help advance carbon storage solutions,
Lars Gunnar Vogt, chief technical officer of Yinson Production
Key takeaways
- SLB has been selected as the strategic reservoir partner for the Havstjerne carbon storage project.
- The project is sited about 135 km from Stavanger on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
- An appraisal well drilled in 2025 confirmed reservoir quality suitable for CO2 injection.
- Havstjerne received €225 million from the EU Innovation Fund in 2025.
Table of contents
SLB’s role: integrated reservoir and FEED engineering
SLB will coordinate an integrated project scope that links subsurface reservoir analysis with injection well design, subsea infrastructure and monitoring plans. The contract covers early engineering studies, reservoir maturation and wells, while SLB’s OneSubsea joint venture will lead the concept and FEED of the subsea injection system.
OneSubsea’s scope, as described by the partners, includes the template manifold, all‑electric trees, control system, umbilical and distribution system for multiple injection points. The integrated approach is intended to improve technical coordination across the storage system and to reduce the number of technical and contractual interfaces between subsurface, wells and offshore infrastructure.
SLB says the work will provide the technical, cost and schedule basis needed to progress Havstjerne toward a final investment decision.
Project scale, funding and early data
Havstjerne is a large‑scale offshore CO2 storage development intended to serve industrial emitters across Europe. The site lies about 135 km from Stavanger on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. An appraisal well drilled in 2025 confirmed reservoir quality suitable for CO2 injection, providing an important technical basis for the project’s continued development.
In 2025 the project also received €225 million from the EU Innovation Fund. Harbour Energy operates the scheme in consortium with Stella Maris CCS, which is part of Yinson Production. Project manager Mark van Aerssen says the integrated approach will help define the project’s technical, cost and schedule basis while strengthening coordination across critical interfaces.
The combination of confirmed reservoir quality and the EU grant narrows early‑stage commercial risk and supports further maturation through FEED and well design.
Why integrated development matters for offshore CCS
Developers and technology providers are moving carbon storage projects from siloed technical studies into integrated development models that tie the subsurface to wells and offshore hardware. SLB's stated aim is to reduce the number of technical and contractual interfaces by delivering both reservoir work and the subsea injection FEED through its OneSubsea joint venture.
That approach can shorten decision cycles by aligning assumptions on reservoir capacity, well integrity and subsea distribution early in the programme. Gavin Rennick, president of SLB’s New Energy and Industrial business, framed Havstjerne as an example of how the company can bring technology, engineering and project integration capabilities together to mature large‑scale storage projects.
Integrated delivery also shapes monitoring and verification design, because injection patterns and surface infrastructure are coordinated from the start rather than being developed separately.
How Havstjerne could progress
The case for
- Integrated FEED and reservoir work could speed alignment on technical assumptions and shorten the path to FID if studies confirm reservoir and subsea performance.
- The €225 million EU Innovation Fund award in 2025 reduces early funding risk and improves the project's ability to contract with industrial emitters across Europe.
The case against
- Technical and commercial risks remain until FEED defines injection rates, number of wells and detailed monitoring plans; those items are not published in the partners' statements.
- Regulatory approvals and commercial agreements with emitters must be secured before construction; delays or tougher permit conditions would push the schedule and raise costs.
What to be careful about
- FEED may reveal technical constraints (injection rates, well count, or distribution limits) that change project cost or scope.
- Regulatory or permitting delays on the Norwegian Continental Shelf could postpone FID and construction.
- Remaining capital needs beyond the €225 million EU grant are not detailed and could require additional financing or partner commitments.
- Long‑term monitoring, verification and stewardship arrangements must be defined before injected CO2 is accepted as permanent storage.
The bottom line
SLB’s appointment frames a technical path for Havstjerne that ties reservoir studies, well design and the subsea injection FEED into a single coordinated programme ahead of FID. The appraisal well in 2025 and the €225 million EU Innovation Fund award in 2025 give the partners validated geology and early funding, but the project’s next steps remain delivery of FEED, clarification of commercial terms with emitters and regulatory approvals. Those milestones, and the details they reveal about injection rates, well counts and monitoring, will determine whether the low‑pressure floating storage and injection concept advances to construction and operation.
What to watch
- Watch for Harbour Energy to announce a final investment decision on Havstjerne; no date has been set.
- Watch for SLB and OneSubsea to deliver concept and FEED studies for the subsea injection system; no date has been set.
- Watch for publication of the project’s monitoring and verification plan; no date has been set.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Havstjerne project and where is it located?
Havstjerne is a large‑scale offshore carbon storage development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, sited about 135 km from Stavanger, intended to serve industrial emitters across Europe.
What work will SLB perform on Havstjerne?
SLB will provide early engineering studies, reservoir maturation and wells work and, through its OneSubsea joint venture, deliver the concept and FEED of the subsea injection system including the template manifold, all‑electric trees, control system, umbilical and distribution system.
How is the project funded so far?
Havstjerne received €225 million from the EU Innovation Fund in 2025, and partners are maturing FEED and commercial terms ahead of a final investment decision.
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