Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is essential to European decarbonisation efforts, and several offshore CO₂ storage projects are being developed in the North Sea. Understanding the geomechanical response to CO₂ injection is key to both the pre-characterisation and operation of a storage reservoir. A thorough assessment of seismicity gives critical insights into the stress field and faulting around reservoirs, both key controls on the geomechanical response to injection. Seismicity also illuminates potential hydraulic pathways for leakage, be it directly by revealing the extent of faults, or indirectly through fractures imaged by measurements of seismic anisotropy. High quality seismicity data is critical to underpin all of these methods of analysis. This paper presents the most complete catalogue of seismicity in the North Sea to date. The combined data are enabling revised assessments of seismic hazard and leakage risk in the North Sea, as well as a better understanding of faulting and stress. This study shows the value of unifying disparate seismicity data, allowing for more accurate seismological analyses. These lay the foundation for better management of risks for not only geologic CO₂ storage, but other offshore industries and infrastructure.

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This presentation gives an overview of the ACT3 SHARP Storage project (Stress history and reservoir pressure for improved quantification of CO2 storage containment risks), introducing its ongoing seismological activities. This includes building a new earthquake catalogue for the North Sea area and designing improved seismic monitoring schemes for CO2 storage sites using seismic networks, seismic arrays, and distributed acoustic sensing on fibre-optic cables. The SHARP Storage project was launched in late 2021 with the overall aim to increase accuracy of subsurface CO2 storage containment risk management through the improvement and integration of subsurface stress models, rock mechanical failure and seismicity observations. SHARP is collaboration between 16 research institutions and companies and is supported under the ACT3 call. ACT is an ERA NET Cofund, which is a tool established by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation. More information on the SHARP Storage project is found at https://sharp-storage-act.eu/.@en