Public Acceptance Challenges for Onshore CO2 Storage in Barendrecht

At the request of the Dutch government Shell has been preparing for a possible CO2 storage project in the town of Barendrecht since 2007. The project involves transport and storage of pure CO2 produced at the Shell Pernis refinery (a by-product from hydrogen production) through 20 km of pipeline and into two depleted gas fields. Because this is a densely populated area public acceptance was recognised from the start as the key challenge for the project. This paper will describe the key elements of a comprehensive public acceptance strategy, and also a frank analysis of what went well and what didn't go well on the Barendrecht project. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.