Global Storage Resources Gap Analysis for Policy Makers

Technical Report

1 October 2011

Jonathan Royer-Adnot, Gilles Munier, Yann Le Gallo, Anthony Lecomte, Cameron McQuale

Citation: IEAGHG, "Global Storage Resources Gap Analysis for Policy Makers", 2011-10, October 2011.

Publication Overview

The IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG), on behalf of the Global CCS Institute, commissioned Geogreen to undertake a study reviewing the current global portfolio of operational and announced CO₂ geological storage projects, in the context of key CCS deployment targets for 2020: 20 operational sites stipulated by the G8; and 100 operational sites as described in the 2009 IEA CCS Roadmap ‘Blue’ scenario (limiting atmospheric CO₂ concentrations to 450ppm). The Geogreen study included detailed modelling of the timescales and resources required for storage sites to achieve bankable status, whereby final investment decisions can be made in advance of site construction, commissioning and operations. Building on this analysis, the study showed that the current CCS project portfolio could allow the G8 target to be reached provided that adequate resources are made available for a large proportion of the proposed projects and that storage associated with CO2-EOR can be included.

Publication Summary

The analysis showed that the current operational/announced global CCS project portfolio has the potential to achieve the G8 target of 20 operational projects by 2020, provided adequate funding for all projects is available and particularly if CO2-EOR projects are included. Conversely, the 2009 IEA CCS Roadmap target of 100 operational sites by 2020 (‘Blue’ scenario, charting progress required for stabilisation of atmospheric CO₂ at 450ppm) is extremely unlikely to be achieved without a large number of additional and immediate project announcements; the current portfolio of announced global projects is more likely to deliver approximately 50 operational projects by 2025, given adequate funding. A more realistic target date for 100 operational projects of 2028 could be achieved, aided by the inclusion of CO2-EOR projects and again notwithstanding financial and other non-technical issues. The gap between current efforts and deployment targets is most marked in non-OECD countries.

Download Publication

Access the complete publication in PDF format.

Download Now

Related Publications

View similar publications.

View All Publications

Technical Report

Geological Storage of CO2: Seal Integrity Review

10 September 2024
Storage

This comprehensive seal integrity review, undertaken by CO2CRC on behalf of IEAGHG, provides a detailed, updated exploration of the critical aspects of seal potential in the context of the geological storage of CO2.

Technical Review

Insurance Coverage for CO2 Storage Projects

16 August 2024
Industry Insights
Storage

This report is a focused review of recent developments regarding insurance coverage for carbon dioxide (CO2) geological storage projects. It seeks to address the following: what companies are offering or planning to offer insurance to CO2 storage projects, what is the scope and duration of the coverage offered, and does coverage extend to the transportation of CO2 to the project site? This work and report was prepared by Franz Hiebert.

Technical Report

Managing the transition of depleted oil and gas fields to CO2 storage

12 August 2024
Policy & Regulation
Storage

This work provides a careful and thorough exploration of the major issues involved in the transfer of use of a field from hydrocarbon extraction to CO2 storage, to identify both the pros and cons of such a transition.

Technical Review

CO2 Storage Site Catalogue

8 August 2024
Storage

This Technical Review provides an overview of 22 CO2 storage sites from around the world. These include CO2-EOR, commercial scale storage sites and a number of pilot and demonstration storage sites in both depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline reservoirs. Its primary aim is to provide a convenient source of collated information with a specific focus on technical information that are in the public domain.

Technical Review

Monitoring Network Meeting Report

1 December 2023
Event Proceedings
Storage

The IEAGHG Monitoring Network aims to assess new technologies and techniques in the monitoring of CO2 storage, determine the limitations, accuracy and applicability of monitoring techniques, disseminate information from research and pilot storage projects around the world, develop extensive monitoring guidelines for the different sub-categories of geological storage; oil and gas fields, unmineable coal seams, and saline aquifers covering the differing conditions and reservoir properties encountered globally as well as to engage with relevant regulatory bodies.

Technical Review

6th International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO2 Storage

1 December 2023
Event Proceedings
Storage

The 6th International Workshop on Offshore Geologic CO2 Storage was held in Aberdeen on 13-14 September. Organised with the University of Texas and hosted by the University of Aberdeen. The loca on was very appropriate as we were co-hosted and sponsored by Storegga who leads the Acorn project nearby in Scotland. This project had been recently announced by the UK government as a Track 2 Cluster project. This 6th workshop had 190 delegates (60 in-person and 130 virtual) from 35 countries, with a good mix of industry, researchers and regulators.

Technical Report

International Standards and Testing for Novel Carbonaceous Building Materials

1 December 2023
Policy & Regulation
Utilisation

Over 4 billion tonnes of cement are produced each year, equating to approximately 8% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and this industry will continue to grow with the expansion of the built environment at a time that emissions need to be reduced. The utilisation or reduction of CO2 within cement, concrete and building materials could be a valuable way to contribute to emissions reductions in the sector , but there are several barriers, including the current state of standards, regulations and policies. This study will provide useful information for the technical and research community, the CCUS industry, the construction industry, and policymakers, providing an unbiased and non-prescriptive evaluation of international standards and testing relevant to novel carbonaceous building materials to address some of those barriers. The market potential for CO2 utilisation processes in the construction industry is also investigated, and the methods for certifying and measuring embodied carbon content of carbonated building materials is evaluated and the challenges therein.

Technical Report

Components of CCS Infrastructure – Interim CO2 Holding Options

27 November 2023
Storage
Transport

This work, undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by TNO and SINTEF, provides an overview of temporary / interim CO2 storage, or ‘holding’, options (also called buffers) and investigates the role of buffer storage and its potential to create flexible and robust carbon capture and storage (CCS) chains. The report looks at current and emerging buffer technologies, conducts simulations to demonstrate the temporary storage required for given flow-rate scenarios and discusses the impact of buffer capacity on transport costs. In the report, the storage requested in the chain for normal operation is presented as " temporary storage" and storage to give buffer capacity is presented as " buffer storage". This report has focussed on buffering at the emitter site. The results of this study will benefit CO2 storage site project developers, operators, financiers and regulators.

Technical Report

Classification of Total Storage Resources and Storage Coefficients

1 November 2023
Storage

The CO2 Storage Resources Management System (SRMS) is a classification scheme to quantify, classify and categorise CO2 storage resources. It comprises ‘total storage resources’, which are understood as maximum (theoretical) storage quantities that could ever be accommodated in the subsurface. Comprising maximum mobile CO2 in structural/stratigraphic traps, maximum residually trapped CO2 in other parts of the formation, and maximum dissolution potential in remaining formation water. ‘Storable quantities’ are understood as accessible from one or several current or future projects. It is the sum of capacity, contingent and prospective resources. The concept of ‘storage coefficient’ ‘E’ is the ratio of the subsurface volume of CO2 storable quantities to either the total storage resources or the pore volume. The calculation is arguably complicated as E is impacted by lithological heterogeneity, trapping structures, boundary conditions, injection rates, well spacing, fluid properties etc. Due to its complexity, there is much controversy on how to estimate E, with some arguing it should not be used at all and that reservoir simulation is a better path. However, estimates for E are used in most regional mapping studies. This study explores storage resource classification schemes and their evolution in understanding, the calculation of storage resources and the storage co-efficient. This is explored in terms of calculating E for CO2 storage sites, through flow modelling and analytical solutions.

Technical Review

Risk Management Network Meeting Report

29 September 2023
Event Proceedings
Storage

The Risk Management Network meeting was held as an in-person event with a particular focus on the risk of wells (particularly legacy wells) in a CCS project, looking at the topic from basin scale through to detailed characterisation of well materials and monitoring. Attended by over 75 delegates from 15 countries, the two day meeting was held at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. It was kicked off by a welcome reception in the Lyell Centre (home to both BGS and the Institute for GeoEnergy Engineering) and was followed by a field excursion to explore the geological history of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and a tour of a very new distillery located in an old train station within stone’s throw of Holyrood Park.

Our most recent publications

Our authoritative, peer-reviewed publications cover topics that include carbon capture, transport, storage, monitoring, regulation, and more.

View All Publications

Technical Report

Geological Storage of CO2: Seal Integrity Review

10 September 2024
Storage

Technical Review

Insurance Coverage for CO2 Storage Projects

16 August 2024
Industry Insights
Storage

Technical Report

Managing the transition of depleted oil and gas fields to CO2 storage

12 August 2024
Policy & Regulation
Storage

Technical Review

CO2 Storage Site Catalogue

8 August 2024
Storage

Technical Report

Power CCS: Potential for cost reductions and improvements

5 August 2024
Capture
Costs of CCUS

CCS, in the context of power CCS technologies, will be an essential component of the portfolio of technologies required to reach net-zero emissions in the power sector. This study explores the potential to reduce the cost and accelerate the uptake of power CCS technologies.

Technical Review

IEAGHG workshop on comparative technoeconomic assessment of commercially available CO2 conditioning technologies

29 July 2024
Event Proceedings
Transport

The workshop aimed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and insights among a panel of international experts on CO2 conditioning, with the goal of informing the scope of a technical specification for a comprehensive IEAGHG report.

Technical Review

7th Post-Combustion Capture Conference Summary

1 April 2024
Capture
Event Proceedings

The 7th edition of the Post Combustion Capture Conference (PCCC-7) was held on the 25?28 September 2023 and was jointly hosted by the IEAGHG, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and sponsored by Worley, Shell, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. (MHI).

Technical Report

Techno-Economic Assessment of Small-Scale Carbon Capture for Industrial and Power Systems

1 March 2024
Capture
Costs of CCUS

This study, undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by Element Energy (now a part of ERM), explores the role of CCS in decarbonising small-scale industry and power generation applications. While relatively under investigated compared to their larger scale counterparts, reaching net zero will be dependent on successfully addressing the emissions from small-scale facilities. The findings from the study will be of interest to the broader energy community but, in particular, should benefit project developers, the finance community and policymakers.

Technical Report

Clean steel an environmental and technoeconomic outlook of a disruptive technology

1 March 2024
Capture
Costs of CCUS

This study primarily presents a comparative analysis of steelmaking pathways to cost-effectively decarbonise a steel mill, taking a life-cycle perspective on associated environmental impacts. The roll-out of clean steel technologies is envisioned to have a significant implication for support infrastructure. Therefore, a secondary objective of the study is to gain insights into the primary energy and infrastructure implications associated with large-scale deployment of different steel decarbonisation pathways. Clean steel production will likely be more expensive than steel produced today; this poses additional economic strains on steel producers and consumers. Consequently, a third objective is to estimate the price premium that clean steel could command in existing and future markets. Further, this study formulates recommendations for key stakeholders to support the sector and outlines recommendations for further work.

Technical Report

The Role of Indices in Assessing the Maturity of CCUS Technologies and their Readiness for Deployment

1 February 2024
Industry Insights

This study was undertaken on behalf of IEAGHG by Foresight Transitions Ltd. While a technology may be technically mature, it has become increasingly clear that the technology may not necessarily be considered commercially ‘bankable’ by investors. In this study, the potential for an index or indices to provide that confidence was explored. The findings from the study will be of interest to the broader energy community but, in particular, should benefit technology developers, CCUS end users, investors and policymakers.

Get the latest CCS news and insights

Get essential news and updates from the CCS sector and the IEAGHG by email.

Can’t find what you are looking for?

Whatever you would like to know, our dedicated team of experts is here to help you. Just drop us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.