Carbon capture and storage in the oil and gas industry: 40 years on
Christopher Consoli A , Alex Zapantis A B , Peter Grubnic A and Lawrence Irlam AA PO Box 23335, Docklands Vic. 8012, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: Alex.Zapantis@globalccsinstitute.com
The APPEA Journal 57(2) 413-417 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ16259
Accepted: 6 April 2017 Published: 29 May 2017
Abstract
In 1972, carbon dioxide (CO2) began to be captured from natural gas processing plants in West Texas and transported via pipeline for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to oil fields also in Texas. This marked the beginning of carbon capture and storage (CCS) using anthropogenic CO2. Today, there are 22 such large-scale CCS facilities in operation or under construction around the world. These 22 facilities span a wide range of capture technologies and source feedstock as well as a variety of geologic formations and terrains. Seventeen of the facilities capture CO2 primarily for EOR. However, there are also several significant-scale CCS projects using dedicated geological storage options. This paper presents a collation and summary of these projects.
Moving forward, if international climate targets and aspirations are to be achieved, CCS will increasingly need to be applied to all high emission industries. In addition to climate change objectives, the fundamentals of energy demand and fossil fuel supply strongly suggests that CCS deployment will need to be rapid and global. The oil and gas sector would be expected to be part of this deployment. Indeed, the oil and gas industry has led the deployment of CCS and this paper explores the future of CCS in this industry.
Keywords: carbon capture and storage, CCS, climate change, low emissions technology, Paris Agreement.
Christopher Consoli is the senior storage advisor in the Asia-Pacific region from the Global CCS Institute. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science from James Cook University (Townsville) and earned his PhD at Monash University (Melbourne). Prior to joining the Institute, Chris was project leader at Geoscience Australia, an agency of the federal government. Currently, his major focus is on understanding the global geological storage potential and the fundamentals behind developing a site for CO2 storage. Chris participates in several national and international standards and review programs. He is a member of the AAPG, SEG and PESA industry organisations. |
Alex Zapantis has a Degree in Applied Science with a major in Physics, a Graduate Diploma in Health and Medical Physics and an MBA. Alex joined the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute as General Manager-Asia Pacific in 2016. Previously Alex held several roles in Rio Tinto Energy and Rio Tinto Coal Australia with a focus on energy and climate policy, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas management and product stewardship as applied to coal and uranium. During his time at Rio Tinto, Alex developed and led the implementation of Rio Tinto Energy’s Product Stewardship Strategy and served on the boards of the Energy Policy Institute of Australia, Australian Coal Association Low Emissions Technology Ltd, the World Coal Association and the Coal Industry Advisory Board to the International Energy Agency. |
Peter Grubnic holds a Bachelor of Economics degree (Honours) from the University of Queensland. He is the Chief Knowledge Officer at the Global CCS Institute and has been with the Institute since 2010. He has held several roles within the Institute, including in business strategy and supporting the Institute’s transition to a member-funded organisation. Peter also oversees production of the Global Status of CCS and other key documents. Prior to joining the Institute, Peter had many years of experience in minerals and energy, having worked in several global locations for BHP Billiton, Shell International, Rio Tinto and the Australian Government. |
Lawrence Irlam leads the Institute’s economic and policy work program in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining the Institute, Lawrence was a project director in the Australian Energy Regulator’s network pricing branch. He has over 10 years’ experience in analysing regulatory and commercial issues affecting electricity and gas infrastructure businesses, including capital expenditure assessments, demand forecasting, financial modelling, cost of capital, pricing and smart metering. Lawrence has also held economic advisory roles within the Northern Territory’s Power and Water Corporation and Treasury department. Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Economics from James Cook University and a Masters in Energy and Environmental Economics from ENI Corporate University. |
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