He had seven rewarding years at TCM

Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) has a 10-year anniversary in 2022. We celebrate ourselves with interviews with people who in various ways have had impact on the business in these years.

–  Why did you apply for a position at TCM?

– Before I started at TCM, I had worked for seven years as a Specialist advisor on amine and caustic treating processes to world wide clients, within CO₂ capture, refineries, LNG, GTL and sour gas processing facilities. This included development of scouting and feasibility studies and test run simulations for various plants, and also some trouble shootings. When the opportunity for an engagement at the newly started test center at Mongstad opened up, I thought this both could be very evolving and interesting, and that I had something to contribute. I have never regretted that decision.

– How was your first meeting with TCM?

– I cannot now remember what happened my first day at Mongstad. But what is strong in my memory was that I was fascinated by the size of the facility. TCM is unique in the world, both in terms of size, flexibility and not least competence. I therefore realized early on that here I was going to thrive. The family had then established themselves in Stavanger, and I commuted three to four days a week to Mongstad. In the first years I lived in an apartment nearby, before I moved to Bergen.

– What will you highlight as the most rewarding and interesting work you took part in at TCM?

– I started my work at TCM just over year after the opening and was like everyone else excited about whether testing of technologies seemed as assumed, that is, whether theory and experiments in laboratories could actually be put into practice. Not least, it was important to measure and to document that the emissions were within the regulations laid down by the Norwegian authorities. The most rewarding and interesting thing was to experience that as a result of collaboration at a high professional level, we succeeded in measuring results and continuously making improvements in operation and performance – to the delight of both the customers and the entire CCS community.

– Are there projects or events you remember back with special joy?

– What I look back on with the greatest joy is the open test campaigns the owner companies with partners planned and carried out. With these, we had full control of all input factors and preparations. The campaigns resulted in important learning that made it possible to set a baseline for the operation of full-scale capture facilities using the amine technology.

– What do you think of as most challening about your work at TCM?

– My most important experience was the good team spirit that characterized the business. Ability and willingness to discuss and to solve problems across the organization was generally very good. Disagreements could still sometimes arise between departments when it came to priorities, which could be a bit challenging, but no worse than that in the end good and committing solutions were found that everyone could agree on.

– When you generally look back on 10 years of business at TCM, what do people that worked at TCM or still are working there have particular reason to be most proud of?

– I will mention two things; the fact that TCM has and continues to be relevant as an arena for testing technologies for industrial deployment, and the importance TCM has as a provider of knowledge to the CCS community worldwide. The scientific articles TCM has produced and presented have been of great importance for the industry and have made the company an internationally recognized brand.

– What is your wish for TCM the next ten years?

– My hope is that TCM succeeds in strengthening its position as a world-leading center for testing and improving both mature and new technologies. I wish all my colleagues and friends at Mongstad the best for the years to come!