International Workshop on Offshore Geologic Carbon Storage

 With thanks to the Gulf Coast Carbon Center for this article

The Gulf Coast Carbon Center was delighted to host the first International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO₂ Storage. GCCC's Katherine Romanak was instrumental in organizing the workshop with IEAGHG's Tim Dixon, who is currently an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at BEG.

Dixon emphasized the value of bringing together an international contingent to discuss carbon storage in offshore reservoirs. "Over 50 experts from 13 countries came together in a common recognition that there is a nexus of interests and needs converging in progressing CCS offshore, and that momentum is being created towards international collaborations not just in knowledge-sharing but towards pilot and demonstration projects."

The workshop evolved as an outgrowth of BEG's interaction with the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum and IEAGHG. In addition, Tony Surridge from the South African National Energy Development Institute was a co-host.

The workshop made a notable historical mark as the first carbon sequestration-related effort to take advantage of the new financial instruments provided by the United Nation's Climate Technology Centre & Network, which provided Funding for Joseph Essandoh-Yeddu from Ghana and Felicia Mogo from Nigeria to attend.

The aim of the workshop was to develop the first global needs assessment for offshore carbon storage. Its goals included initiating a discussion about the various aspects of offshore transport and storage; building an international community of parties interested in offshore storage; and facilitating countries to identify their specific issues, challenges, and opportunities.

Topics of interest identified by the attendees included transitioning from pilot project to full-scale deployment; funding and finance; accelerating knowledge and technology transfer; regulatory development; infrastructure; and public engagement. Participants identified and defined synergies, common gaps, and goals in each of these areas, and action items, including future workshops and potential projects, were developed.

Summarizing the importance of the workshop, GCCC's Tip Meckel explained, "This is the first time that we've ever had so much international diversity and experience all sitting down with the common goal of figuring out how we can collaborate to make offshore CCS work. You can either dip your toe into the offshore or take a deep dive. This was a deep dive."