Potential Of Carbon Capture And Storage Research Articles

Assessing the potential for CO2 storage in saline aquifers in Brazil: Challenges and Opportunities

AbstractThis study underscores the critical role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and addresses the potential for CCS projects in saline aquifers in Brazil, one of the world's largest carbon emitters. The country's ability to adopt CCS is significantly influenced by the availability of data related to regional CO2 storage potential and identifying suitable geological framework for CO2 injection. While oil and gas reservoirs have traditionally been prioritized, saline aquifers represent an underexplored and potentially higher capacity storage option. Despite Brazil's 31 sedimentary basins, the data quantity and availability for these contexts remain insufficient for advanced studies on the geological storage of CO2 considering saline aquifers. An initial study was conducted indicating five potential targets in the Paraná and Potiguar Basins for geological storage in saline aquifers based on available public data, mainly drilling data. This review reveals substantial challenges related to the evaluation of Brazil's CO2 storage capacity, such as the lack of modern seismic studies, the absence of a regulatory framework for CO2 storage, and insufficient investment in new well exploration. These challenges necessitate multistakeholder collaboration, the development of a supportive regulatory environment, and investment in extensive site characterization campaigns. Addressing these barriers is fundamental to realizing the country's CCS potential and contributing to global decarbonization efforts. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Can Australia create ‘super’ basins?

The world’s need for sustainable energy requires the upstream industry to utilise and deliver renewables and carbon capture and storage (CCS) at scale. To do that we must focus on where the synergies with low-carbon technologies are greatest. We define these as the energy ‘super basins’ of the future – where large hydrocarbon resources are co-located with plentiful clean electricity and CCS potential. These basins provide a viable pathway for industry to become sustainable. Basins without these attributes are disadvantaged, and face being left behind. This paper will focus on where Australian basins sit on this scale – which are the most advantaged through to disadvantaged? Which have the most viable renewables and CCS/CCUS (carbon capture, utilisation and storage) potential? Advantage also depends on cost – renewable energy must be abundant and affordable. In Australia today, upstream resources are plentiful but advantaged resources are not. But that perspective is not fixed, and there is much industry can do to strengthen its outlook. The average upstream emissions intensity of Australian projects is significantly above the global average – due to remote locations, high energy intensity and contaminants. Using renewables and CCUS to cut emissions is a logical step. Government policy, new technologies and exploration can also make a difference. But what of smaller basins without scale? Can Australian operators create ‘boutique’ basins with niche advantages – such as copious wind or solar power – that enable them to extend their longevity? Making Australia’s upstream sector resilient and sustainable is a huge challenge and will require ambitious, innovative basin-level thinking.

The global status of carbon capture and storage: ambition to action

As the global response to climate change advances from ambition to action, the past few years have witnessed unprecedented levels of investments in carbon capture and storage (CCS), with the pipeline of commercial facilities continuing to grow as the technology becomes increasingly competitive and commercial in many countries. Key trends underpinning this momentum include the rise of the network project model enabling the use of shared infrastructure, the incorporation of CCS in private sector investment strategies, ESG (environmental, social and governance) considerations, green taxonomies and the industrial-scale production of hydrogen to meet demand. With CCS receiving increased awareness in international climate policy negotiations, a renewed focus on developing supportive policy, legal and regulatory mechanisms by national governments are also driving CCS deployment. Established leaders and early-movers in CCS-relevant policy, such as the United States, European Union and the UK, continue to maintain or strengthen their positions by allocating significant levels of funding for tax credits, subsidies and grants. Similarly, countries in the Asia-Pacific region, notably China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, are also advancing policies to incentivise deployment, including through the establishment of CCS-specific legal and regulatory frameworks. The outlook for CCS is optimistic, however, current deployment rates fall far short of what is required to keep global warming below 1.5 or even 2 degrees. Further action is needed to unlock the full potential of CCS and realise the Paris climate goals.

Media Coverage of Carbon Capture and Storage: An Analysis of Established and Emerging Themes in Dutch National Newspapers

Policymakers in several European countries are considering the implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as part of a strategy to prevent further climate change. Successful CCS implementation requires societal support but planned CCS projects have encountered significant opposition. In this study, we examine the CCS coverage in Dutch national newspapers from 2017 to 2019, a period during which the Dutch CCS landscape underwent several substantial changes, and compare the results to those of earlier media analyses conducted between 1991 and 2011. Most of the 324 articles identified discussed CCS in a neutral (36.4%) or balanced (24.4%) manner, and more critical articles than supportive ones were found (23.1% vs. 16.0%). Consistent with the earlier media analyses, the potential of CCS to reduce carbon dioxide emissions was a major theme in the positive portrayal of CCS, while the argument that CCS implementation is needed for the prompt reduction in emissions gained prominence. High CCS deployment costs and the perception that CCS is an unproven technology have remained major themes in the negative portrayal of CCS. The availability of and preference for alternative solutions was a more prominent theme in the conversation compared to earlier years, whereas the subject of CCS safety was discussed less than before. The study illustrates how media coverage can shed light on the evolving relationships between society and CCS, and on the established and emerging themes in arguments used for and against the technology.

Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland

AbstractIndustrial ecology (IE) methodologies, such as input/output or material flow analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA), are often used for the environmental evaluation of circular economy strategies. Up to now, an approach that utilizes these methods in a systematic, integrated framework for a holistic assessment of a geographic region's sustainable circular economy potential has been lacking. The approach developed in this study (IE4CE approach) combines IE methodologies to determine the environmental impact mitigation potential of circular economy strategies for a defined geographic region. The approach foresees five steps. First, input/output analysis helps identify sectors with high environmental impacts. Second, a refined analysis is conducted using material flow and LCA. In step 3, circular strategies are used for scenario design and evaluated in step 4. In step 5, the assessment results are compiled and compared across sectors. The approach was applied to a case study of Switzerland, analyzing 8 sectors and more than 30 scenarios in depth. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) from waste incineration, biogas and cement production, food waste prevention in households, hospitality and production, and the increased recycling of plastics had the highest mitigation potential. Most of the scenarios do not influence each other. One exception is the CCS scenarios: waste avoidance scenarios decrease the reduction potential of CCS. A combination of scenarios from different sectors, including their impact on the CCS scenario potential, led to an environmental impact mitigation potential of 11.9 Mt CO2‐eq for 2050, which equals 14% of Switzerland's current consumption‐based impacts.

Policy trade-offs in introducing a CO2 transport and storage industry to service the UK's regional manufacturing clusters

Government and industry in oil and gas producing nations are increasingly considering development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as both a deep emissions reduction solution and route to transitioning extraction supply chains. We develop a computable general equilibrium model of the UK economy to investigate the economy-wide impacts of introducing a new carbon dioxide (CO2) transport and storage sector supplying national capacity to support decarbonisation of four of the main mainland industrial clusters, located in the North England and Scotland. We consider key issues including the implications of the new sector's infrastructure intensity and the need for both upfront investment and action to guarantee demand for the initial capacity. We examine the challenges of funding the sector, particularly the UK Government's stated preference to move to a ‘polluter pays’ approach in the medium term. We find that such an additional cost burden could impact the international competitiveness of industries concentrated in the four regional clusters, with consequent offshoring of industry demand and activity. The associated job losses bring potential conflicts with the UK Government's regional ‘levelling up’ agenda, triggering reconsideration of what policymakers should anticipate in terms of the ‘green growth' potential of CCS in an industrial decarbonisation context.

Concurrent 1. Presentation for: A regional chronostratigraphic framework for play-based resource assessments in the Eromanga Basin

Presented on Tuesday 17 May: Session 1 Geoscience Australia is undertaking a series of basin-scale assessments to identify the ‘yet-to-find’ resource potential for hydrocarbons, as well as for groundwater resources and carbon capture and storage (CCS) opportunities in central Australia under the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) Program. A play-based exploration approach is being used to systematically evaluate the key risk elements for each resource type through the analysis of drilling results and spatial data to map ‘sweet spots’ for exploration. These assessments aim to reduce the risks and uncertainties for explorers by providing spatially enabled assessments of energy resources and CCS potential. The work will also improve the understanding of existing groundwater resources which may be impacted by future energy resource developments or provide feedstock for future green hydrogen projects. A key requirement for undertaking such play-based resource assessments is to apply a common regional chronostratigraphic framework across all the resource types that link different geological unit nomenclatures through defining the assessed reservoir and seal intervals and their associated sequence stratigraphic surfaces (sequence boundaries, transgressive surfaces and maximum flooding surfaces). A Mesozoic chronostratigraphic framework has been developed for the Eromanga Basin, which defines nine regional play intervals that host the known hydrocarbon and groundwater resources, or represent potential CCS targets. The Mesozoic play framework is now being applied to undertake play-based low-carbon energy resource assessments in the western Eromanga Basin, with initial work focussing on the interpretation and correlation of the nine play intervals in wells for post-drill analysis. To access the presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

A regional chronostratigraphic framework for play-based resource assessments in the Eromanga Basin

Geoscience Australia is undertaking a series of basin-scale assessments to identify the ‘yet-to-find’ resource potential for hydrocarbons, as well as for groundwater resources and carbon capture and storage (CCS) opportunities in central Australia under the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) Program. A play-based exploration approach is being used to systematically evaluate the key risk elements for each resource type through the analysis of drilling results and spatial data to map ‘sweet spots’ for exploration. These assessments aim to reduce the risks and uncertainties for explorers by providing spatially enabled assessments of energy resources and CCS potential. The work will also improve the understanding of existing groundwater resources which may be impacted by future energy resource developments or provide feedstock for future green hydrogen projects. A key requirement for undertaking such play-based resource assessments is to apply a common regional chronostratigraphic framework across all the resource types that link different geological unit nomenclatures through defining the assessed reservoir and seal intervals and their associated sequence stratigraphic surfaces (sequence boundaries, transgressive surfaces and maximum flooding surfaces). A Mesozoic chronostratigraphic framework has been developed for the Eromanga Basin, which defines nine regional play intervals that host the known hydrocarbon and groundwater resources, or represent potential CCS targets. The Mesozoic play framework is now being applied to undertake play-based low-carbon energy resource assessments in the western Eromanga Basin, with initial work focussing on the interpretation and correlation of the nine play intervals in wells for post-drill analysis.

Carbon Capture and Storage Potential in Ireland — Returning Carbon Whence It Came

Summary Carbon capture and storage (CCS) involves the capture of CO2 emissions produced from industrial and electricity generation sources, followed by transport to permanent underground geological storage. Hence, CCS is one mitigation option available to achieve the targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Here we discuss CCS potential with particular reference to Ireland’s emission targets, policy positions and geological storage options. In Ireland, CCS could be utilised (1) with gas-powered electricity to provide secure and reliable low-emissions electricity, (2) to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate industries such as cement manufacturing, and (3) to facilitate the future deployment of negative emissions technologies. Ireland has significant potential to store CO2 in geological formations in depleted gas fields and deep saline aquifers in its offshore sedimentary basins. Two high-graded options are the offshore Kinsale Head and Corrib gas fields. Provisional estimates for the CO2 storage capacity of these two fields are 321 Mt and 44 Mt respectively. The depleted Kinsale Head gas field alone could have sufficient storage capacity to take the equivalent of up to 40 years of CO2 emissions from the top 10 point-source emitters in Ireland. Further work is needed to fully characterise and mature the potential for CCS in Ireland.

What is the future potential of CCS in Brazil? An expert elicitation study on the role of CCS in the country

This article presents the results of an expert elicitation about the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Brazil as a measure to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, its costs, and the most appropriate policies to develop this technology at a commercial scale. Experts were elicited based on a scenario oriented towards net-zero emissions in Brazil by 2050. Five parameters were elicited, and all present great uncertainty. Results show that experts believe CCS has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in Brazil. Still, with the current lack of supporting market, policy and regulatory frameworks in place, it could take another five years to begin implementation, reaching commercial scale not earlier than 12 years from the time of writing. Experts say that the chance of Brazil reaching the elicited value of 190 million tons of CO2 per year is very low. This indicates that though CCS can play a role in achieving net-zero emissions in the country, many other measures will be necessary. Policy-wise, the experts bet on a carbon market as the most probable policy instrument to help CCS development in Brazil. The experts also estimated the total investment necessary to reach 190 million tons of CO2 per year captured at USD 58 billion. When it comes to public expenditures, experts believe the role of the government in funding CCS in the country would be approximately 25% of total investments coming from different sources of public investment.

Empirical Evidence for the Potential Climate Benefits of Decarbonizing Light Vehicle Transport in the U.S. with Bioenergy from Purpose-Grown Biomass with and without BECCS.

Climate mitigation scenarios limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 °C rely on decarbonizing vehicle transport with bioenergy production plus carbon capture and storage (BECCS), but climate impacts for producing different bioenergy feedstocks have not been directly compared experimentally or for ethanol vs electric light-duty vehicles. A field experiment at two Midwest U.S. sites on contrasting soils revealed that feedstock yields of seven potential bioenergy cropping systems varied substantially within sites but little between. Bioenergy produced per hectare reflected yields: miscanthus > poplar > switchgrass > native grasses ≈ maize stover (residue) > restored prairie ≈ early successional. Greenhouse gas emission intensities for ethanol vehicles ranged from 20 to -179 g CO2e MJ-1: maize stover ≫ miscanthus ≈ switchgrass ≈ native grasses ≈ poplar > early successional ≥ restored prairie; direct climate benefits ranged from ∼80% (stover) to 290% (restored prairie) reductions in CO2e compared to petroleum and were similar for electric vehicles. With carbon capture and storage (CCS), reductions in emission intensities ranged from 204% (stover) to 416% (restored prairie) for ethanol vehicles and from 329 to 558% for electric vehicles, declining 27 and 15%, respectively, once soil carbon equilibrates within several decades of establishment. Extrapolation based on expected U.S. transportation energy use suggests that, once CCS potential is maximized with CO2 pipeline infrastructure, negative emissions from bioenergy with CCS for light-duty electric vehicles could capture >900 Tg CO2e year-1 in the U.S. In the future, as other renewable electricity sources become more important, electricity production from biomass would offset less fossil fuel electricity, and the advantage of electric over ethanol vehicles would decrease proportionately.

CO2 sequestration by magnesite mineralisation through interaction of Mg-brine and CO2: integrated laboratory experiments and computerised geochemical modelling

ABSTRACT Several Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) techniques have been studied including injections of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the mature and/or depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and deep saline aquifers. This work aims to test storing CO2 into the magnesium-rich evaporite strata and also into the stratigraphic intervals containing Mg-rich brines. The test simulates Mg-carbonation of the synthetic solution obtained from the Mg-evaporite mineral, bischofite – both experimentally in the laboratory condition and also through computerised geochemical simulation. The laboratory experiments, which resulted in the crystallisation of anhydrous magnesite, were analysed. The TOUGHREACTTM, Geochemist’s WorkbenchTM (GWB) and PHREEQCTM software simulated the experiments as computerised geochemical model and tested the results for natural geological conditions. The geochemical simulations successfully demonstrate the immense CCS potential for the Mg-evaporite (as well as the sedimentary strata charged with Mg-evaporitic brine) at their subsurface geological occurrences at elevated pressure-temperature and high salinity.

An assessment of CCS costs, barriers and potential

Global decarbonisation scenarios include Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a key technology to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power and industrial sectors. However, few large scale CCS plants are operating worldwide. This mismatch between expectations and reality is caused by a series of barriers which are preventing this technology from being adopted more widely. The goal of this paper is to identify and review the barriers to CCS development, with a focus on recent cost estimates, and to assess the potential of CCS to enable access to fossil fuels without causing dangerous levels of climate change.The result of the review shows that no CCS barriers are exclusively technical, with CCS cost being the most significant hurdle in the short to medium term. In the long term, CCS is found to be very cost effective when compared with other mitigation options. Cost estimates exhibit a high range, which depends on process type, separation technology, CO2 transport technique and storage site.CCS potential has been quantified by comparing the amount of fossil fuels that could be used globally with and without CCS. In modelled energy system transition pathways that limit global warming to less than 2 °C, scenarios without CCS result in 26% of fossil fuel reserves being consumed by 2050, against 37% being consumed when CCS is available. However, by 2100, the scenarios without CCS have only consumed slightly more fossil fuel reserves (33%), whereas scenarios with CCS available end up consuming 65% of reserves. It was also shown that the residual emissions from CCS facilities is the key factor limiting long term uptake, rather than cost. Overall, the results show that worldwide CCS adoption will be critical if fossil fuel reserves are to continue to be substantively accessed whilst still meeting climate targets.

Combining Geothermal Energy and CCS: From the Transformation to the Reconfiguration of a Socio-Technical Regime?

Combining geothermal energy and CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is a technological solution that uses the same aquifer to provide heat and to store CO2, after dissolving it into the brine, leading to a close loop, as proposed in the CO2-DISSOLVED concept. This technology is more relevant for small-scale emitters - such as biorefineries - than CCS with postcombustion and storage at a supercritical state, which requires larger scale effects i.e., most power generation plants using fossil fuels. Based on a techno-economic analysis, we provide insights on the role of CO2-DISSOLVED in the sustainable transition. Contrary to conventional CCS on fossil fuels, CO2-DISSOLVED appears as a bridge towards renewable energies, and acts as a complementary technology, enlarging the potential of CCS for small or medium industrial emitters. This innovation enriches the portfolio of CCS combinations with renewable energies, like BECCS (BioEnergies and CCS). It helps then to overcome the current debates CCS versus renewable energies, showing a large gradient of situations. According to the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) of sustainable transition, CO2-DISSOLVED could contribute to the transformation of the existing socio-technical system, and to its reconfiguration towards renewable sources of energy. As other competing technologies, it could play a rising role in the modification of the energy system. Then, focusing only on CCS implemented on large-scale emitters constitutes a narrow vision of CCS potential in the sustainable transition.

The Potential of CO2 Capture and Storage Technology in South Africa’s Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plants

The global atmospheric concentration of anthropogenic gases, such as carbon dioxide, has increased substantially over the past few decades due to the high level of industrialization and urbanization that is occurring in developing countries, like South Africa. This has escalated the challenges of global warming. In South Africa, carbon capture and storage (CCS) from coal-fired power plants is attracting increasing attention as an alternative approach towards the mitigation of carbon dioxide emission. Therefore, innovative strategies and process optimization of CCS systems is essential in order to improve the process efficiency of this technology in South Africa. This review assesses the potential of CCS as an alternative approach to reducing the amount CO2 emitted from the South African coal-fired power plants. It examines the various CCS processes that could be used for capturing the emitted CO2. Finally, it proposes the use of new adsorbents that could be incorporated towards the improvement of CCS technology.

Policy uncertainty and diffusion of carbon capture and storage in an optimal region

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has the potential to dramatically reduce GHG emissions in energy supply and industry. However, its high costs mean that uncertainty about the stringency of future climate policy may dissuade firms from investing in this technology. This article explores the relationship between firms expectations of government policy and investment in CCS. First, it synthesizes recent cost estimates for CCS applications in electricity generation and oil sands extraction in Canada. Second, it uses these estimates to investigate the potential impact of policy stringency and uncertainty on CCS adoption in Alberta, a Canadian province with near-ideal CCS potential. The results suggest investment in CCS, and by extension other costly abatement actions, will not occur unless governments create a more stringent and durable climate policy environment than currently exists.Policy relevanceThis paper has two novel and linked objectives, the first of significant utility to researchers and energy modellers in particular, the second to climate policy analysts and decision makers. First, it synthesizes publicly available carbon capture and storage literature and develops cost estimates for key applications related to thermal electricity generation and oil sands extraction in Canada. Second, it uses these cost estimates to investigate the potential impact of policy stringency and uncertainty on carbon capture and storage adoption in Alberta, Canada. Alberta is a test case for CCS due to its fossil resources and high CO2 storage potential, and the technology's success or failure in this jurisdiction should be of interest to policy makers elsewhere.

CO2 mitigation potential of CCS in China – an evaluation based on an integrated assessment model

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been viewed as an emission abatement option with great potential in China as coal has dominated China's energy consumption. China has already started to pay attention to CCS, as well as to the proposed the concept of ‘CCUS’ (which adds CO2 Utilization into the chain of capture, transportation and storage). However, CCS is still in the early stages of its technological development, and the high cost, with several internal and external uncertainties make the role that CCS can play in China's future emission reduction unclear. From the perspective of general equilibrium analysis, this paper introduces CCS into a regional energy–economy–environment integrated assessment model, and makes a comprehensive evaluation of CCS's potential for future development and contribution to emission abatement in China. At climate policy level, the potential contribution of CCS in emission abatement has been evaluated against different future emission constraint scenarios in China. At technological level, the effects of endogenous learning and policy incentives on CCS have been investigated, and the substitution capacities of CCS and Non-hydro renewables to fossil energy have been discussed, as well as their technology penetration rates. Furthermore, the impact of CO2 utilization on the development of CCS has also been discussed.

The investigation of CO2 storage potential in the Algoa basin in South Africa

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seen as one of the technical approaches that can be used to mitigate global climate change in fossil fuel dominated countries such as South Africa. Approximately 90% of primary energy in South Africa is derived from fossil fuels, with coal providing 92% of electricity production in the country. The South African Centre of Carbon Capture and Storage (SACCCS) was established in 2009 (by the South African government with the assistance from international governments and industry) to investigate the potential of CCS in the country. SACCCS is addressing its mandate in line with the South African CCS Roadmap, which has been endorsed by the South African government. SACCCS's role in the South African CCS Roadmap is as follows:2004Assessment of the potential for CCS in South Africa2010Development of a South African CO2 Geological Storage Atlas2017Commencement of a Pilot CO2 Storage Project (10,000 - 50,000t CO2 stored)2020Facilitate the commencement of a CCS demonstration plant (in the order of 100,000t CO2/year)2025+Inform the implementation of commercial CCS deployment (over 1,000,000t CO2/year)Ongoing:Provide support to other CCS activities in South Africa The results from the assessment of CCS potential in South Africa were summarised and documented in the Atlas (which was published in 2010) with the majority of storage potential occurring in Mesozoic basins of South Africa. There is 150 Gt of theoretical storage capacity is identified, of which 98% occurs offshore. After the completion of the Atlas the next stage on the Roadmap, the Pilot CO2 Storage Project (PCSP), has become the focus of SACCCS activities. The scope and available funding of the PCSP led to the decision to focus on the onshore portions of the Algoa and Zululand basins as possible sedimentary basins for the PCSP programme. This paper will discuss the progress associated with the ongoing investigation of CO2 storage potential in the Algoa basin which forms the onshore extension of the offshore Outeniqua basin. The middle Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) to lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian) Uitenhage Group constitutes the syn-rift basin-fill succession with stratigraphy dominated by the fluviatile Kirkwood Formation, and shallow marine Sundays River Formation. Due to limited and reasonably poor data availability, the need for new data and more tests on existing data to confirm any potential storage areas/sites was cited. SACCCS is now planning additional analysis of data to potentially allow for reinterpretation of the older data. The results from the analysis and reinterpretation will inform the next stage of the PCSP.

The investigation of CO2 storage potential in the Zululand Basin in South Africa

Abstract Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seen as one of the technical approaches that can be used to mitigate global climate change in fossil fuel dominated countries such as South Africa. Approximately 90% of primary energy in South Africa is derived from fossil fuels, with coal providing 92% of electricity production in the country. The South African Centre of Carbon Capture and Storage (SACCCS) was established in 2009 (by the South African government with the assistance from international governments and industry) to investigate the potential of CCS in the country. SACCCS is addressing its mandate in line with the South African CCS Roadmap, which has been endorsed by the South African government. SACCCS's role in the South African CCS Roadmap is as follows: 2004 Assessment of the potential for CCS in South Africa 2010 Development of a South African CO 2 Geological Storage Atlas 2017 Commencement of a Pilot CO 2 Storage Project (10,000 - 50,000t CO 2 stored) 2020 Facilitate the commencement of a CCS demonstration plant (in the order of 100,000t CO 2 /year) 2025+ Inform the implementation of commercial CCS deployment (over 1,000,000t CO 2 /year) Ongoing: Provide support to other CCS activities in South Africa The results from the assessment of CCS potential in South Africa were summarised and documented in the Atlas (which was published in 2010) with the majority of storage potential occurring in Mesozoic basins of South Africa. There is 150 Gt of theoretical storage capacity is identified, of which 98% occurs offshore. After the completion of the Atlas the next stage on the Roadmap, the Pilot CO 2 Storage Project (PCSP), has become the focus of SACCCS activities. The scope and available funding of the PCSP led to the decision to focus on the onshore portions of the Algoa and Zululand basins as possible sedimentary basins for the PCSP programme. This paper will discuss the progress associated with the ongoing investigation of CO 2 storage potential in the Algoa basin which forms the onshore extension of the offshore Outeniqua basin. The middle Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) to lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian) Uitenhage Group constitutes the syn-rift basin-fill succession with stratigraphy dominated by the fluviatile Kirkwood Formation, and shallow marine Sundays River Formation. Due to limited and reasonably poor data availability, the need for new data and more tests on existing data to confirm any potential storage areas/sites was cited. SACCCS is now planning additional analysis of data to potentially allow for reinterpretation of the older data. The results from the analysis and reinterpretation will inform the next stage of the PCSP.

Time to stop investing in carbon capture and storage and reduce government subsidies of fossil‐fuels

Government investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a large and expensive fossil‐fuel subsidy with a low probability of eventual societal benefit. Within the tight resource constrained environments that almost all governments are currently operating in, it is irresponsible to sustain this type of subsidy. CCS has been promoted as a ‘bridging’ technology to provide CO2 reductions until non‐fossil‐fuel energy is ramped up. But the past decade of substantial government investment and slow progress suggests that the challenges are many, and it will take longer to build the CCS bridge than to shift away from fossil‐fuels. Optimism about the potential of CCS is based primarily on research on technical feasibility, but very little attention has been paid to the societal costs of governments perpetuating fossil‐fuels or to the sociopolitical requirements of long‐term regulation of CO2 stored underground. Deep systemic change is needed to alter the disastrous global fossil‐fuel trajectory. Government investment in CCS and other fossil‐fuel technologies must end so that the distraction and complacency of the false sense of security such investments provide are removed. Instead of continuing to invest billions in CCS, governments should invest more aggressively in technologies, policies, and initiatives that will accelerate a smooth transition to non‐fossil‐fuel‐based energy systems. We need to divest from perpetuating a fossil‐fuel infrastructure, and invest instead in social and technical changes that will help us prepare to be more resilient in an increasingly unstable and unpredictable future. WIREs Clim Change 2014, 5:169–173. doi: 10.1002/wcc.266This article is categorized under: Climate Economics > Economics of Mitigation The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand