The purpose of the Phase 3 pilot project is to demonstrate and study sub surface CO2 storage over time. The construction of the Longyearbyen CO2 storage lab will start as soon as the geometry of the reservoir has been determined. Liquids other than CO2 may be used in the initial phase.

The reservoir below Longyearbyen is considered physically open (no closure) and, therefore, will likely experience drift of the injected CO2 plume towards the North East, through gradual mixing and expulsion of saline groundwater. This offers a unique opportunity for studying the behavior of CO2 in sub surface saline aquifers. A number of monitoring wells will be drilled for this purpose.

Attentiveness is paid to the distance of approx. 15 km from the injection site where the reservoir appears at the surface. This fact and others will be considered in reservoir geo-models and subsequent flow simulations, which will predict flow in the reservoir and substantiate the odds for CO2 leakage.