Technology Focus: CO2 Applications (July 2010)

Technology Focus “CO2 storage is just a hole in the ground.” The creation of an effective carbon-capture and -storage (CCS) project involves a complex relationship between a CO2 emitter and a CO2-storage provider and the alignment of each of their major project developments. Power generators, who are major emitters of CO2, generally have little knowledge or interest in the subsurface and are prone to oversimplification—on occasions representing storage as a “hole in the ground.” Conversely, oil and gas operators do not see CO2 storage as part of their range of business activities, unless it involves enhanced oil recovery or provides a solution to unlock a gas project with a high CO2 content. As a result, the wider oil and gas sector is not yet fully engaged with the CCS opportunity. Without a full appreciation of the end-to-end CCS project, it is difficult to ensure effective risk allocation. Power generators tend to take the lead on CCS projects, and experience to date suggests that storage-related issues are not considered sufficiently during the early stages of these projects. To progress, each industry must play its part: providing greater clarity over the nature of the challenges and being willing to understand the other’s issues. The academic sector has identified the funding opportunities that come with CCS and plays an important part in developing and sharing relevant knowledge within and across industries. However, such knowledge sharing comes with responsibilities. These responsibilities include being very clear about material presented. By way of example: Assessments of capacity to store CO2 sometimes include extreme over- or underestimates (e.g., through approximation or the selection of specific, but unusual, reservoir assumptions). Such material then is used by proponents of one argument (e.g., “storage will never work”) or another (e.g., “storage is just a hole in the ground”) to justify their position. Of course, the reality is that CO2 storage is a complex matter requiring the effective application of all the subsurface knowledge that we have to identify, appraise, select, and develop suitable storage reservoirs. Effective communication across industries is key to the success of CCS. CO2 Applications additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org SPE 127080 • “The Application of Environmental-Impact Assessment in Carbon Capture and Storage” by Evert Holleman, Royal Haskoning, et al. SPE 124002 • “CO2-ECBM/Storage Activities at the San Juan Basin Pump Canyon Test Site” by George J. Koperna Jr., SPE, Advanced Resources International, et al. SPE 126444 • “Development of Storage Coefficients for Determining the Effective CO2 Storage Resource in Deep Saline Formations” by Charles D. Gorecki, SPE, University of North Dakota, et al.