Going underground [CO2 storage and emissions reduction

Abstract

If reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required, CO2 capture and storage in geological reservoirs is likely to be necessary. The technology would be deployed in combination with other mitigation measures such as renewables, energy efficiency and fuel switching. A number of potential geological reservoirs can be used to store captured CO2. These include depleted and disused oil and gas fields, deep saline aquifers and deep unminable coal seams. Estimates of the CO2 storage capacity in the geological reservoirs indicate that there is more than sufficient capacity to store all the CO2 that would need to removed to achieve the projected total CO2 emissions reduction between 2000 and 2050. This is based on the 'business as usual' scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This suggests geological storage can make a substantialimpact on reducing CO2 emissions.