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A word from the CEO

Industrial CCS hubs critical to meeting climate targets

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Australia is rightly regarded as a leader in carbon capture and storage research and development, with a long track record of practical application of innovation, an area where CO2CRC and our subsidiary CO2Tech contribute strongly.

As in other countries, initial development of Australian CCS has been driven by the upstream oil and gas industry, with projects such as Chevron’s Gorgon and Santos’ Moomba CCS reducing the emissions footprint of gas to be delivered to customers in Australia and our trading partners in Asia. The power generation sector has also embraced CCS with examples including the Boundary Dam project by Canada’s SaskPower and the CTSCo project in Queensland, which was derailed by populist politics.

This is an important contribution, but the fact is CCS is also essential to lowering the emissions of hard-to-abate industrial sectors such as steel, cement, fertiliser, alumina, chemicals, and plastics.

The Federal government’s Safeguard Mechanism legislation targets over 220 facilities that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. These facilities will have to reduce baseline emissions by 5pc per year if Australia is to meet its climate targets.

Major Australian industrial enterprises face many challenges, including maintaining capacity, increasing sovereign capability, and supporting jobs whilst reducing emissions.

Most industries are focusing their efforts on technology changes supported by renewable energy or future fuels to drive their long-range planning, but some are also looking to CCS as an option in their portfolio of decarbonisation pathways.

This is aligned with international practice, especially in Europe where resolving conflicting priorities of maintaining industry and reducing emissions is being partially dealt with by CCS hubs that gather CO2 from industrial sources, then transport the gas to permanent underground storage sites. A leading example is Norway’s Northern Lights project, which will see CO2 from over a dozen industrial sites in Norway and northern Europe stored offshore at Øygarden in western Norway.

CO2CRC has identified several notable emissions hubs along Australia’s East Coast that correspond to strong industrial centres that greatly contribute to the Australian economy but also represent a concentrated source of emissions:

  • Gladstone Hub: 13 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum from facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism.
  • Sydney-Newcastle Hub(s): 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum from Safeguard facilities.
  • Bell Bay Hub: 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum from Safeguard facilities.

Gladstone CCS Hub

Above: The Gladstone Region’s modelled emissions profile, Safeguard Mechanism’s Baseline reduction and ACCU credit purchase cost.

We have screened storage options for these hubs and have determined that the most viable storage solution is likely to be shipping CO2 to the offshore portion of the Gippsland Basin for permanent underground storage.

We know that CCS works best at scale. That’s why we are proposing a consortium approach to reduce costs and build collaboration amongst regional industries. This is vital work, and collaboration must include commitments from industry and government.

So far, that has been lacking in eastern Australia. As the Gorgon and Moomba projects evidence, it is notable that states that support upstream resources industries are also leading the way on CCS.

But CCS is as essential to the industrial hubs in the east coast as it is to gas projects in the west.

The fact remains that current CCS projects around Australia are moving too slowly – often due to delays in granting environmental and other regulatory approvals.

Combined with delays in bringing renewable energy projects online, that means Australia’s chances of meeting our 2035 and 2050 emissions goals are becoming more challenging by the day.

Without offshore CCS, storage hubs and shared infrastructure, the hard-to-abate sectors won’t have any chance to reduce their emissions as required under the Safeguard Mechanism.

That’s one reason you should be hearing a lot more about CCS hubs in the months and years ahead.

Dr Matthias Raab, CEO.

 

Funding the next generation of CCS technologies

Australia’s leading carbon capture and storage research organisation CO2CRC will increase its collaboration with Curtin University to continue development of next generation, higher resolution Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) monitoring technologies at the Otway International Test Centre in western Victoria.

READ FULL RELEASE HERE.

Curtin University and CO2CRC Staff
Above: Valeriya Shulakova Adjunct Research Fellow School of Earth and Planetary Sciences Curtin University, Roman Pevzner Professor School of Earth and Planetary Sciences Curtin University and Paul Barraclough Chief Operating Officer CO2CRC on Site at the OITC.

 

New video: 20 Year History of the Otway International Test Centre 2004-2024

CO2CRC has developed a concise, under one-hour video seminar, commentated by Dr. Max Watson, providing a high-level review of the history and achievements of the Otway International Test Centre and its CO2 geological storage research and technology demonstration in Australia. This video, which sets the scene for CO2CRC upcoming field research program, ‘Otway Stage 4 – Storage Optimisation’,  is now available on CO2CRC’s website.

For those seeking a deeper understanding of CCS science and technology, CO2CRC offers regular training opportunities, catering to both technical experts and generalists interested in Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS).

Curtin University and CO2CRC Staff
Above: CO2CRC’s Dr Max Watson sharing his knoweldge with visitors to the Otway International Test Centre.

Otway International Test Centre Hosts Japanese Parliamentarians

GeoEnergy-CO2CRC
Above: Paul Barraclough leading a tour of the Otway international Test Centre for members of the Japanese Diet in September.

It was a great pleasure to host Michiko Ueno, Masahiro Ishii, Ayaka Shiomura, Akiyoshi Kato, and Toshiaki Ando, from Japan’s Diet House of Councillors at CO2CRC’s Otway International Test Centre (OITC) earlier this month. CO2CRC’s Chief Operating Officer, Paul Barraclough, and CO2CRC’s Otway International Test Centre Operations Manager, Mitch Allison, provided a tour and presentation for the visitors.

The parliamentarians showed great interest in expanding their knowledge of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and discussing the potential of the technology to promote partnerships with Australia to utilise CCS technology to assist Japan meet its carbon emission reduction targets.  CO2CRC has a long history of collaborative partnerships with Japan and is currently working with the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth Japan (RITE) to test new technology developed to measure geological strain using fibre optics and a device designed to create microbubbles to enable carbon dioxide to be stored more efficiently in the subsurface.

J Power, Japan’s global energy production giant, has had membership of CO2CRC for many years and been involved in and supported a number of CO2CRC’s research projects. CO2CRC and J Power have collaborated on Victoria’s Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project with Japan’s Suiso Energy. This pilot project extracted hydrogen from coal with the resulting carbon dioxide to be separated and stored via CCS. The resulting hydrogen was liquified and transported to Japan by ship. The HESC Project is supported by Japan’s Green Innovation Fund and highlights Japan’s endorsement of CCS as a vital emissions reduction technology.

“It was very special to have several representatives of the Japanese Government visit the OITC and express a sincere and educated interest in carbon capture and its role in the reduction of carbon emissions,” Paul Barraclough said, “Global emission reduction will only occur if countries collaborate to achieve this. CO2CRC is a good example of how international collaboration in carbon capture and storage research can have a significant impact on technology globally.”

CO2CRC Plenary Speaker at GHGT-17

GeoEnergy-CO2CRC

CO2CRC CEO, Dr Matthias Raab, will be a Panel Chair and Plenary Speaker at the upcoming Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-17) conference in Calgary, Canada. GHGT-17 is the largest greenhouse gas conference and attracts the world’s best academics to share their CCS research, knowledge, and experience. Matthias will provide an overview of the Australian CCS landscape.

CO2CRC’s Dr Max Watson, David Bason, and Mitch Allison, also attend the conference to engage on international collaborative research opportunities. CO2CRC partner collaborators, Professor Sally Benson from Stanford University and Dr Achyut Mishra from University of Melbourne, will present on the GeoCquest Field Validation (GFV) research project conducted at the Otway International Test Centre (OITC).

CO2CRC is sharing the Australia booth with AEP, CSIRO, and DCCEEW at the conference. Come and visit us to discuss data sharing, collaboration, or our exciting future CCS program and the latest developments from the OITC.

Using pressure to provide low-cost CCS confidence

GeoEnergy-CO2CRC
Above: On a chilly day, CSIRO’s Dr Jonathan Ennis-King and CO2CRC’s Paul Barraclough discuss the pressure tomography water injection at the Otway International Test Centre.

CSIRO lead scientist, Samuel Jackson, and colleagues have recently published a paper in the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control (IJGGC) detailing a cutting edge CO2 storage monitoring system. The (on the surface) simple approach utilises changes in pressure in the formation to identify and locate a stored plume of carbon dioxide rich gas at CO2CRC’s Otway International Test Centre. The pressure tomography technique, readily transferrable to storage sites globally, was field trailed by CO2CRC’s Stage 3 research project.  Pressure tomography involves the inversion of cross-well pressure test data to form a map of the subsurface properties in the storage area. The technique can be used as desired during a CO2 storage process, with the change in properties over time, reflecting the position of the gas plume.

The pressure tomography process utilized at the OITC, employed four water injection wells, to generate three plume images during the CO2 storage operation. It required very little manual intervention, and the data obtained compared favorably to data obtained by more traditional (though more expensive and constrained) seismic based monitoring techniques. The trial demonstrated that pressure tomography is a viable, economic, long-term monitoring technique for carbon storage projects.

The journal article on the technique, written by our research collaborators at CSIRO and Curtin University and co-authored by CO2CRC, has been shortlisted for the Annual Award for best paper by the IJGGC from a large number of potential candidates.  The winner will be announced at the upcoming GHGT-17 conference in Canada and we encourage attendees to support our team during the ceremony.

CO2CRC extends our congratulations to our researchers for the recognition of their outstanding research and the creation of a high quality article.

 

Follow CO2CRC today on LINKEDIN to keep up to date with the latest news on our ground-breaking demonstration and research projects.

CO2CRC Training and Education

At CO2CRC, we believe that effective CCUS education and training is a vital element in shaping a sustainable, low-emission future. As such, we are dedicated to equipping a wide array of stakeholders, including industry experts, policymakers, investors, scientists, and the general public, with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve their emission reduction targets. CO2CRC provides a range of general CCUS educational courses as well as technology specific and tailored CCUS training.  Upcoming courses over the next few months include: Contact  Max Watson for more information.

CCUS fundamentals

CCUS Fundamentals Course Wednesday 4 December 2024 Melbourne

Enjoy the convenience of CO2CRC’s industry leading full day CCUS Fundamentals course delivered in person in Melbourne. CO2CRC’s Fundamentals Course provides targeted knowledge exchange on all things CCUS to upskill yourself or your team in CCUS. MORE INFORMATION

Contact  Max Watson for more information.

CCUS Principles, Practices, and Applications 18 – 20 February 2025 Online

In the CCUS Principles, Practices, and Applications course, you’ll gain insights into the urgent need for emission reduction measures, particularly in the context of fossil fuel usage and industrial processes. Explore the principles underlying geological storage, methodologies for site identification, various CO2 capture technologies employed in stationary sources, and so much more.

Real-world examples and case studies from operational projects worldwide will be utilised throughout the course to provide context to the challenges and opportunities to navigate this evolving landscape.

Presented by CCS technical experts Dr Max Watson and Jai Kant Pandit.

What out attendees say:

On behalf of Cooper Energy, I commend CO2CRC for their excellent CCUS course. It provided a comprehensive overview of the opportunities, complexities and challenges across all aspects the carbon capture, utilisation and storage sectors.” James Clarke, Cooper Energy

Limited places available. Secure your spot today:

Contact  Max Watson or read more information.

Energy Transition News

30/09/2024 European Commission starts consultation on methodology for low-carbon hydrogen – Enerdata The European Commission is consulting on draft legislation on methods to evaluate the emission savings of low-carbon hydrogen and fuels.

30/09/2024 Equinors boss: European CO2 costs will be crucial for Northern Lights and new CCS projects – Energywatch It’s primarily European customers that are important to get this industry up and running, says Anders Opedal.

27/09/2024 Climeworks And Coca-Cola Introduce New Sparkling Water With Air-Captured Carbon – Carbon Herald. DAC leader Climeworks and Coca-Cola introduced Valser, sparkling mineral water with carbon captured from the atmosphere.

26/09/2024 ‘Locked into fossil fuels’: UK urged to reconsider carbon capture plans – Upstream Online. Final investment decisions on blue hydrogen projects linked to government-backed CCS clusters are imminent.

25/09/2024 Esso to progress CCS project – Gippsland Times. ESSO Australia won’t need to complete an EES for the onshore component of its carbon storage project off the Wellington coast.

25/09/2024 Japan’s Marubeni Buys 50% Of Ozona CCS Project In South Texas – Carbon Herald. Marubeni Corporation has entered an agreement to acquire 50%  of Soouth Texas Ozona CCS project.

25/09/2024 Feasible deployment of carbon capture and storage and the requirements of climate targets – Nature. Consideration of the potential of CCS by 2030.

17/09/2024 Researchers use cutting-edge carbon capture tech to create a cleaner future – Curtin University. Curtin University enters three-year, multimillion-dollar agreement with CO2CRC.

16/09/2024 Carbon capture and storage pilot installed at energy-from-waste facility – Packaging Europe Enfinium is launching a carbon capture pilot at an energy-from-waste site.

16/09/2024 EPA issues violation notice to ADM over carbon sequestration permit – CFO Dive. The violation relates to corrosion in a monitoring well at the company’s second injection site that has since been plugged and did not affect surface or groundwater.

14/09/2024 Petronas, Japanese partners move towards early commercialisation of CCS project – upstreamonline. Malaysia’s national energy giant Petronas and eight Japanese companies are forging ahead with engineering design work for a proposed CCS project that could see CO2 injected at the depleted M3 field offshore Sarawak, East Malaysia.

13/09/2024 Mitsubishi Corporation and ExxonMobil sign Project Framework Agreement to advance world’s largest low-carbon hydrogen project – Mitsubishi Corp. Mitsubishi Corporation and Exxon Mobil Corporation have signed an agreement to produce hydrogen with approximately 98% of CO2 removed and low-carbon ammonia.

 12/09/2024 Gevo to buy Red Trail Energy ethanol production and CCS assets in $210M deal -Seeking Alpha. Gevo will acquire the ethanol production plant and CCS assets of Red Trail Energy in North Dakota for $210M, as a platform for future alcohol-to-jet sustainable airline fuel.

09/09/2024 UK government grants new CCS licenses to unlock carbon capture potential, OEUK reports – World Oil. The UK proposes to grant transport and storage licenses to Liverpool Bay CCS Limited (Hynet) and Net Zero North Sea Storage Limited – the East Coast Cluster round Humberside and Teesside.

09/09/2024 Finland And Norway Partner On Carbon Storage And Transport – Carbon Herald. Creating a framework that enables Finnish companies to transport their CO2 emissions to Norway for permanent storage.

08/09/2024 Enhancing electrochemical carbon dioxide capture with supercapacitors – Nature. Study on the performance of supercapacitor electrodes in capturing CO2.

06/09/2024 Mantel Secures $30M To Bring Low Cost, Energy Efficient Carbon Capture To Heavy Industry – Carbon Herald. Mantel, the technology provider of a carbon capture system using molten borates, today announced it has raised $30 million in Series A funding co-led by Shell Ventures and Eni Next.

06/09/2024 Exxon eyes start-up of first Gulf Coast carbon capture project in 2025 – Offshore Technology. The start-up is contingent upon securing regulatory consent for wells designed for underground CO₂ storage.

05/09/2024 Carbon Capture Gets Boost from Major Bank of America Investment – The Global Treasurer. Bank of America has committed $205 million to an ethanol producer in North Dakota.

04/09/2024  JOGMEC awards Metropolitan area CCS value chain project to Japanese trio – Offshore Energy. Japanese companies have concluded a consignment contract with JOGMEC regarding the “basic engineering design for CCS value chain” and “assessment on CO2 storage potential including exploratory drilling”

04/09/2024 PETRONAS, ADNOC, and Storegga Forge Deal to Explore CCS in Malaysia – Carbon Credits.com. PETRONAS, ADNOC, and Storegga signed the Joint Study and Development Agreement  to assess the CO2 storage potential of saline aquifers and develop CCS facilities in the Penyu basin of Malaysia.

04/09/2024 Eni Injects First CO2 in Offshore Ravenna CCS Project – Journal of Petroleum Technology. By repurposing Italy’s depleted Porto Corsini Mare Ovest offshore gas field for CO2 storage, Eni and Italian grid operator Snam have positioned the Ravenna CCS project to play a major role in the EU’s development of more than 50 mpta of CO2 storage capacity by 2030.

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