CO2-capture: Aker participates in UK competition

Aker Clean Carbon, which delivers CO2-capture technology and togetherwith Aker Solutions plans to build and install carbon capturefacilities at coal and gas power plants and other CO2 emission sitesaround the world, has signed its first international contract.

In November 2007 the UK Government announced a competition to buildthe first carbon capture facility for a coal-fired power plant in theUK. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in2014. The project also includes establishing transport and permanentstorage solutions for CO2. in addition to building the capture plant.

The UK government has today pre-qualified four industrial consortiato take part in the final stage of the competition.

ScottishPower, the UK energy group, is among the pre-qualifiedentrants and has chosen ACC as the technology provider for the CO2capture plant. Aker Solutions is going to build the plant, accordingto the plan. The consortium also includes Marathon Oil, the US energygroup.

- This is an international breakthrough for us. This is the firstfull-scale project where the whole value chain, from capture totransport and storage, is included from the beginning, said Jan RogerBjerkestrand, Chief Executive Officer of Aker Clean Carbon.

- The project is of particular importance to us because our largestmarket internationally will be C O2-capture of coal power plants.

Aker Clean Carbon changes the order of priorities in Norway.

In Norway, Aker Clean Carbon has decided to stop the construction ofa CO2 capture demonstration plant at Kaarstoe in Rogaland. The mainreason is uncertainty about required steady supply of flue gas.

The gas power plant that was meant to provide the flue gas has notbeen in operation since its completion in the autumn of 2007, andthere is great uncertainty about the regularity of future supply offlue gas. It has also proved difficult to gain access to alternativeflue gas from the nearby gas terminals

"It has been extremely difficult to establish reliable sources offlue gas at Kaarstoe, and we therefore want to focus on otherprojects," said Mr Bjerkestrand.

-Following the pre-qualification in the UK, our main ambition is towin the competitions to build a capture plant at the European CO2Test Centre at Mongstad and a full-scale capture plant at Kaarstoe.The work related to the demonstration plant at Kaarstoe has given usvaluable experience that will be used in the planning and executionof building these and other capture plants, said Mr Bjerkestrand.

-These activities will be strongly supported by an ongoing R&Dprogramme to develop more energy effective chemicals for the captureprocess. This programme is executed in cooperation with SINTEF, theindependent science research group, and NTNU, the Norwegianuniversity of science and technology,. These two institutions havemore than 20 years of experience within these subjects. The programmewill last for 8 years and has a budget of NOK 317 millions. AkerClean Carbon will receive public finance support under theCLIMIT-programme for the first phase of the project.

-We have already tested several solvents and one is now ready foruse. Aker Clean Carbon is aiming to reduce significantly the cost ofcapturing CO2. Developing better and more energy effective andenvironmentally friendly chemicals is an important factor to achievethis, said Mr Bjerkestrand.

For more information, please contact:Geir Arne Drangeid, Senior partner and EVP, Aker ASA; +47 913 10 458----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the companies:

ScottishPower

ScottishPower is one of UK's top 6 integrated energy providers. Thecompany has electricity networks in South and Central Scotland,Merseyside and North Wales and some 5.2 million energy customeraccounts. Its power generation assets include the Longannet andCockenzie coal plants in Scotland and a number of gas fired stationsin England. Its sister company, ScottishPower Renewable EnergyLimited, is the UK's largest wind power generator.

Marathon Oil

Marathon Oil Corporation is an integrated international energycompany engaged in exploration and production; integrated gas; andrefining, marketing and transportation. Marathon is based in Houston,Texas, and has principal operations in the United States, Angola,Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Norwayand the United Kingdom. Marathon is the fourth largest UnitedStates-based integrated oil company and the nation's fifth largestrefiner.Aker Clean CarbonAker Clean Carbon was established in 2007 by Aker ASA and AkerSolutions ASA to accelerate the commercialisation of CO2 capturetechnology. The company has 19 employees and is owned 70 percent byAker and 30 percent by Aker Solutions. The company has so farinvested about NOK100 million in developing its own capturetechnology, and has engaged about 160 engineers, many from AkerSolutions.Aker Clean Carbon is part of Aker, a Norwegian industrial holdingcompany with 36 000 employees and operations in 35 countries withinthe power and energy, maritime, seafood and marine biotechindustries.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to §5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act)