Norwegian safety regulators have given their nod for partners in StatoilHydro’s “European Test Centre” for carbon sequestration and storage to build controversial plant at the Mongstad refinery north of coastal city Bergen.

The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority said the oil company could go ahead and modify the refinery to accommodate test project plant. The aim at Mongstad is to test “the economy and consequences” for the environment of running a capture plant for carbon-dioxide.

Two experimental facilities are planned for Mongstad’s carbon capture: testing an amine-based absorption process and a chilled ammonium process. The plan is start-up of some carbon capture and storage, or CCS, at the refinery by 2011.

However, some scientists still have doubts about the human health hazard wories linkied to the accidental release of the concentrated organic mixes into the environment.

Scandoil.com reported in detail this summer on the health concern surrounding the use of amino acids as a medium for carbon-dioxide to bind itself to. Doubts persist about the safety of amino processes, but animal husbandry creates excess amounts, and the binding agent would be readily available.

Tags: CCS, StatoilHydro