One of the most potentially exciting greenhouse gas reducing technologies will be placed under the microscope at the forum when world leaders in the field of long-term capture and storage of carbon dioxide, or carbon dioxide sequestration, converge for the Melbourne talks.
The Gorgon project contains over 12% carbon dioxide, one of the major hurdles in developing the resource.
More than 300 delegates from around the world will attend the forum. It’s a unique, and timely, opportunity for Australia to present its credentials in the development of this new technology.
The majority of world expertise on carbon dioxide capture and storage will be in Melbourne to share their experiences and vision for the technology.
“The safe and effective burial of carbon dioxide emissions is not just a geologist’s fantasy, it is a happening reality,” according to Ian Macfarlane, minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. There are a number of projects underway, notably in Norway and Canada, and these projects are providing a valuable blueprint for the planned wide-scale development of the process.
Working examples include the Weyburn project in Canada, which is a commercial-scale project started in late 2000 to utilise carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery at a Canadian oil field. The project involves transporting pure carbon dioxide from a North Dakota coal gasification facility to an oil field in southern Saskatchewan, where it will be injected into the field to improve oil recovery.
The Sleipner project in Norway is another example where these technologies are already deployed, and have been since 1996. Carbon dioxide extracted from gas production in the Norwegian North Sea is being stored 1000 metres below ground instead of being released to the air.
Obviously regulation of these activities is an important aspect to the development of carbon dioxide geosequestration and Australia will be looking closely at these international experiences to guide Australian work on a framework to monitor this potentially new industry.
The purpose of the CSLF is to ensure the sharing of the latest carbon capture and storage technologies, and to identify and address wider issues including the economic, legal and regulatory aspects of these technologies.
A range of international experts will address the conference including: US Deputy Secretary of Energy, Kyle McSlarrow; Russia’s Federal Agency for Science and Innovation Head, Sergey Mazurenko; China’s Secretary General of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Shi Dinghuan; and Canada’s Deputy Minister for Natural Resources, George Anderson.
Macfarlane said the opportunity to host the second Ministerial-level meeting of the Forum put Australia at the forefront of international endeavours to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through carbon dioxide geosequestration.
“Fossil fuels will remain the mainstay of energy production well into the 21st century. So we have a parallel obligation to explore technologies, like carbon dioxide geosequestration, which will bring about cleaner ways of producing these fuels.”
To date, international experience with carbon dioxide geosequestration technology has mainly come from the oil and gas industries but the technology has the potential to have a significant impact on other sectors, including electricity generation.
“This international gathering is a timely opportunity for Australia to learn and to present its credentials to become a significant player in the development of carbon dioxide geosequestration techniques. The opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is not one to be squandered,” said Macfarlane.
