Abstract
The importance of CO2 removal from the atmosphere has long been an essential topic due to climate change. In this paper, the authors aim to demonstrate the suitability of the underground reservoirs for CO2 storage based on their geological characteristics. The research addressed the potential of geological formations for fossil CO2 storage in the Baltic States to support the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in the region. The geological, technical, and economic feasibility for CO2 storage has been assessed in terms of carbon sequestration in geological structures and the legal framework for safe geological storage of fossil CO2. Results indicate that prospective structural traps in the Baltic States, with reasonable capacity for CO2 storage, occur only in Southwestern Latvia (onshore) and in the Baltic Sea (offshore), whilst other regions in the Baltics either do not meet basic geological requirements, or have no economically feasible capacity for CO2 storage. Based on the examination of geological characteristics, the most fitting is the middle Cambrian reservoir in the Baltic sedimentary basin, and one of the most prospective structural traps is the geological structure of Dobele, with an estimated storage capacity of 150 Mt CO2. This study revealed that the storage capacity of the middle Cambrian reservoir (up to 1000 Mt CO2) within the borders of Southwestern Latvia is sufficient for carbon capture and safe storage for the whole Baltic region, and that geological structures in Latvia have the capacity to store all fossil CO2 emissions produced by stationary sources in the Baltic States for several decades.
Highlights
The estimated concentration of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere has increased from approximately 277 ppm in 1750 to 419 ppm in 2021, indicating that the Industrial Era has significantly added to climate change
This article is focused on the evaluation of the middle Cambrian reservoir within the Baltic sedimentary basin, especially the Dobele structure, which is considered as one of the most promising geological formations for safe CO2 geological storage in the Baltic States, based on the geological, geographical, and economic factors
The total CO2 capture potential in the Baltic States using “End-of-Pipe” technologies is about 18.68 Mt CO2 per year
Summary
The estimated concentration of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere has increased from approximately 277 ppm in 1750 to 419 ppm in 2021, indicating that the Industrial Era has significantly added to climate change. A rapid increase in CO2 concentration nowadays is commonly related to modern human activities, such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation, and this far exceeds any natural increase in concentration This considerable increase in the atmospheric CO2 and in the concentrations of other greenhouse gases (GHGs) has resulted in changes in the carbon biogeochemical cycle, in changes of carbon cycling among reservoirs in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and terrestrial biosphere. This increase has substantially changed the Earth’s climate system [2].
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