Independent energy researchers have warned that pumping carbon from gas rigs into the ocean or storing it underground “won’t work at all” as a solution to climate change.
In a report released Thursday, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis examined 13 of the world’s flagships. (CCS) and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) projects.
According to the report’s author, Bruce Robertson, more than half are underperforming, with two failing and one being left behind.
What are the results of Australia’s CCS projects?
“CCS technology has been around for 50 years, many projects have failed and continue to fail, and only a handful are working,” he said.
A case study showed that the Gorgon project offshore Western Australia (the only operating CCS system in Australia and one of the largest CCS systems in the world) underperformed by about 50% in its first five years.
Chevron Australia’s Gorgon liquefied natural gas operation extracts carbon from offshore gas reservoirs and injects it into the sandstone beneath Barrow Island off the coast of Washington.
Part of the Gorgon Project on Barrow Island, Western Australia, taken in 2016. Chevron said the carbon capture and storage system is operational and carbon dioxide is safely injected two kilometers below him on Barrow Island. sauce: AAP / Ray Strange
Not meeting state government mandated performance targets, Chevron Australia purchased carbon credits to offset its carbon footprint and is in compliance with WA’s license to operate.
“Many international organizations and governments are trying to capture carbon in the fossil fuel sector to net zero carbon, but it’s not going to work,” Robertson said.
Chevron told AAP news agency that the Gorgon CCS system is operational and carbon is being safely injected two kilometers below Barrow Island.
“Innovation of this scale is not without challenges, but the technology works,” said the spokesperson.
“We still have work to do. We have a dedicated team to look at options for optimizing system performance over its 40-year lifespan, and we continue to invest in systems to ensure they reach their full potential.” I will continue.”
More Australian CCS projects approved
The Albanian government last week approved a new offshore carbon capture area for the first time since 2014, saying “safe, proven and critical technology” will help Australia cut emissions.
The joint venture of Inpex, Woodside Energy and TotalEnergies is located in the Bonaparte Basin off the coast of the Northern Territory, and Woodside Energy’s project is located in the Browse Basin off the coast of Western Australia.
Carbon dioxide capture has been used since the last century for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), in which oil and gas producers inject pressurized carbon into reservoirs to squeeze out more hydrocarbons.
According to the report, EOR projects use nearly three-quarters (73%) of the carbon captured each year.
The report found that over the past 50 years, only a small percentage (10-20%) of carbon capture projects stored carbon in dedicated geological structures without using it for EOR.
Robertson said CCS could have a role in hard-to-reduce cement, fertilizer and steel production, but recommended safeguards.
The project is in a safe location, has a centuries-old oversight plan, needs compensation in case of failure, and has no liability to the taxpayer.
Nor should it be used to extend the life of any kind of fossil fuel asset as a “climate change solution,” he said.
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