Progress towards Safe and Effective Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States

Abstract

By signing the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United States entered into a global commitment to restrain global warming to below 2°C. Achieving this goal requires significant changes that policy makers and the public are only beginning to comprehend. Geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2 GS) is one mitigation strategy for lowering global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) while meeting the need for secure, affordable and environmentally sound fossil energy supplies. It is the only technology capable of substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants and enabling the use of this plentiful fuel source, required for universal electricity access. Studies indicate that without commercial scale CO2 GS, the cost of global climate change mitigation will increase by hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) was established to assess the public acceptance, technical and economic feasibility of CO2 GS. Geologic and engineering knowhow, practical experience, and commercial scale-up are required to help CO2 GS to reach its full potential. Field tests function to help address issues such as public acceptance and cost by demonstrating that CO2 GS is a safe, environmental friendly solution for CO2 emissions from energy production and industry. To this end, MRCSP has performed field tests in six different geologic formations, tested monitoring technologies, distilled key modeling input parameters, and built a geologic knowledge base to support future CO2 GS implementation. In addition to tests conducted under MRCSP, studies related to well integrity assessment, characterization of storage zones in offshore and onshore areas, and evaluation of regional geomechanical issues are strengthening the foundation of future CO2 GS deployment. The role of CO2 GS in a clean energy future, as well as issues affecting safe, effective deployment of CO2 GS at commercial scale, will be presented.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90258 © 2016 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, September 25-27, 2016