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Contenu archivé le 2022-12-23

Assessment of the feasibility of CO2 storage in the Russian Permafrost

Objectif

The geological storage of CO2 provides a significant option to mitigate CO2 emissions, contributing to the achievement of Kyoto targets. However, there are barriers that limit the application of CO2 capture and underground storage. One of these limits is the short- and long-term safety aspect. The safety aspects are related as well with the sealing properties of the site, as with the possible interactions of CO2 at depth with the reservoir rock, and the hydrological processes.

The northern territories of Russia present a specific property related to the safe storage of CO2. These territories are underlain by permafrost, a permanent frozen upper layer that may act as an adequate seal for maintaining CO2 in the underground. Another possible advantage of the permafrost is that because of the low temperatures, methane and even CO2 gases are stable in solid form, as so-called gas hydrates. The purpose of the project is to assess the feasibility and capacity of CO2 storage in the northern territories of Russia underlain by permafrost.

Based on the experience that has been gained by EC projects in the investigation of experimental sites for CO2 storage, it will assemble information on the particular conditions of the permafrost, and it will evaluate how these conditions will influence - in a positive or a negative way - the process of CO2 storage. Considering that the northern territories of Russia are the site of intense oil and gas exploitation, the project will also consider the compatibility of CO2 storage with the oil industry.

It will focus on formulating answers on the following questions:
- What are the specific thermal, physical, chemical properties of the permafrost: in order to define the compatibility with CO2 storage?
- How stable is the permafrost: is its stability affected by global warming and industrial/human activities? This in order to consider the safety of CO2 storage under conditions of climate change.
- What are the consequences of the oil industry on the structure of the permafrost: the conditions of CO2 storage in a permafrost affected by oil industry?
- What are the processes that can be expected in the permafrost when injecting CO2?
- Finally, the project will assess the local and regional potential for CO2 sequestration?

A major aim of the project is to disseminate the project results and conclusions to decision makers and to the civil society in order to promote the application of this method in the considered region. It will also recommend further studies in order to further investigate the technical aspects of the application of the method in the permafrost.

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Coordinateur

INTERNATIONAL BUREAU FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (IBES)
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
RUE AUDREY HEPBURN, 9/13
BRUSSELS
Belgique

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Coût total
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Participants (5)