North Sea preferred CO2 storage destination for Europe

According to a new report launched by the Global CCS Institute, geological carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage resources in the North Sea are among the most thoroughly understood in the world.

The Global Storage Portfolio is the first report of its kind to provide a comprehensive worldwide summary of geological storage resource assessments from almost 50 countries. Nations identified as leading the way on storage readiness include Canada, Norway, the US and the UK.

Andrew Purvis, the Institute’s General Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa, said identification and quantification of storage sites were critical to the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of global efforts to closing the gap between current international climate commitments, and what scientists say is needed in order to limit global warming to well below 2°C.

“CCS is a vital technology for meeting the world’s targets for mitigating global warming at least cost – the very objective is simply impossible without CCS,” said Purvis. “Availability of storage space for the injected CO₂ is a critical precondition of a CCS project. Not knowing how much storage potential is available could significantly undermine a nation’s ability to meet emissions reduction targets, by hampering their ability to deploy CCS in a timely fashion.”

“Regional resource assessments are important in providing policymakers and other stakeholders with an indication of the storage potential in any given location, and can serve as an important first step in selecting and proving storage sites to support project deployment.”

“The assessment of offshore storage resources in the North Sea, complemented by detailed evaluation of the storage capacity at several specific sites and the availability of oil industry infrastructure for re-use, should provide a significant advantage to CCS deployment there,” explained Purvis.

Only proven storage scenarios are considered in the report, including deep saline formations, depleted or depleting oil and gas fields, and enhanced oil recovery using CO₂. All three scenarios have been successfully utilised for existing CCS projects around the world.

Many countries use different evaluation criteria for their assessments and use different methods to calculate their storage resource. By consolidating this work, the Institute has been able to review and compare the results from regional studies for each country.

Edited from press release by Harleigh Hobbs

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/04032016/north-sea-preferred-co2-storage-destination-for-europe-339/