CCUS is a technology designed to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by capturing it from power plants or other industrial facilities before it enters the atmosphere. The captured carbon dioxide is then transported to the storage site. Injection into underground geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas fields or saline aquifers, provides permanent safe CO2 storage. From the Global CCS Institute, CCS 101 Capture CO2 is separated from power plants and industrial facilities air emissions before it reaches the atmosphere. This technology is important for reducing CO2 emissions, especially in hard-to-decarbonize industries such as cement, steel and electricity production. Transport Once captured, CO2 is safely transported to a storage site by pipelines, ships or rail.
Capture
CO2 is separated from power plants and industrial facilities air emissions before it reaches the atmosphere. This technology is important for reducing CO2 emissions, especially in hard-to-decarbonize industries such as cement, steel and electricity production.
Transport
Once captured, CO2 is safely transported to a storage site by pipelines, ships or rail.
Use
Optionally, captured CO2 can be used in many ways like carbonated beverages, water purification, industrial uses, and hospital equipment/procedures. Supplying carbon dioxide to large-scale greenhouse food-growing operations has been shown to increase production by 40% or more. In Alaska since 1986, natural gas containing a relatively high percentage of carbon dioxide has been used to enhance oil production from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope. This enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a major use of CO2 in the United States and provides the twin benefits of environmental sustainability through permanently storing CO2 deep underground while prolonging the life of existing oil fields so more of global demand is met without a need for new oil field development.
Storage (also known as Sequestration)
Once transported, CO2 is injected deep underground into rock formations suitable for permanent storage. These formations must meet strict geological requirements. They need layers that are both permeable enough to allow the CO2 to flow into the rocks and porous enough to provide sufficient storage volume. To keep the carbon dioxide securely stored without rising to the surface requires cap rock, formations with low permeability and low porosity above and below to prevent CO2 migration.
CCUS is one of the most effective tools for reducing CO2 emissions while meeting growing global energy demands. For Alaska, CCUS has the potential to:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that global clean energy security cost more than doubles if CCS is not employed. Simply put, adding CCS to existing systems costs less than complete replacement with a new, low-carbon dioxide output system.
Alaska's unique geological landscape makes it a promising location for CO2 storage sites. The state’s abundant and deep sedimentary basins provide the desired permeability and porosity for injection and storage. Most of these are in saltwater environments which provide measurable separation from potential underground drinking water sources. Alaska’s highest potential basins have deep reservoirs either in or below depleted oil or natural gas fields in regions like the Beluga River Field, Cook Inlet Basin or the North Slope. These offer significant potential for safe and effective CO2 storage.
And many of sites are at tidewater, opening the possibility of bringing in CO2 from the West Coast or Asia-Pacific via CO2 tankers. Today, the U.S. Department of Energy and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are performing a study of this exact scenario, as are Hilcorp, Sumitomo, and K line.
By providing CO2 storage sites, Alaska can enable investment in energy projects that address high electricity costs, reduce emissions, and support cleaner energy production.
Advantage: Geological opportunities
Formations in the Cook Inlet, and on the North Slope provide ideal geological conditions for secure, long-term CO2 storage.
Advantage: Proven expertise
Forty years of natural gas/CO2 capture and injection on the North Slope combined with twenty years of CO2 sequestration research by UAF INE has developed a knowledgeable collaborative working group between UAF, state agencies, and industry partners that helps provide operational excellence and innovative solutions.
Advantage: Stricter environmental safeguards
The State of Alaska is working to take the regulatory lead from the U.S. EPA for the injection wells and storage sites, resulting in stricter monitoring and regulatory frameworks to better protect Alaska’s environment.
Advantage: Strategic development
Federal funding and partnerships support exploring the feasibility of CO2 storage sites to open a new chapter for Alaska’s energy industry.
Advantage: High potential basins near large energy reserves
Capturing CO2 requires additional energy to drive the process. Having long-term energy supply close to the storage site, such as in large coal and stranded natural gas, improves long-term economics and project viability.
Deep underground injection of CO2 is a proven technology that has been used for decades—since 1972 in Texas. While CO2 was used for enhanced oil recovery, the injection of CO2 allowed scientists and engineers to understand how CO2 behaves and is retained in the subsurface. Those decades worth of observations and understanding lend confidence to CO2 storage projects now.
Before CO2 storage projects advance, detailed assessments help scientists and engineers understand the geology at the specific project site. Advanced computer modeling and risk assessments aid in those assessments before projects apply for the appropriate permits to operate at a site.
As required under regulations specific to CO2 injection activities, project operators must perform subsurface and surface monitoring programs and follow regulatory frameworks to ensure the CO2 remains securely stored underground.
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