CO2 storage potential of offshore oil and gas fields in Brazil

Abstract

CO2 storage is an important climate change mitigation strategy and a relevant part of the storage activity results from selecting the most suitable geological regions. Brazil's size and international economic participation justify the global interest in its emission mitigation actions. The use of depleted oil and gas fields presents several advantages such as availability of technical data, economic aspects, partially available infrastructure, and lower environmental impacts. Therefore, this article presents an estimate of 85 Brazilian offshore oil and gas fields' storage capacity, linking available infrastructure and CO2 emissions location criteria. These fields have the potential to store at least 1040 MtCO2 and can go up to 3121 MtCO2. The biggest Brazilian metropolises are on the coast with high levels of CO2 emissions, and therefore allocating offshore fields to dispose of these gases favours shorter transport distances. The use of the storage capacity analysis associated with information on emissions and infrastructure availability are criteria that can assist in selecting the most suitable regions for CO2 storage in the Brazilian offshore area.