Project description
Mitigating subsurface unconventional hydrocarbon extraction and carbon capture and storage risks
Subsurface exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon sources and carbon capture and storage (CCS) come with environmental risks including gas leakage, water contamination and induced seismic activity. To address these issues, the EU-funded SECURe project, through a series of field and laboratory experiments, will design risk prevention and monitoring strategies that ensure good practice in subsurface management throughout all stages of unconventional resource extraction and CCS processes. The project will establish an international platform for environmental monitoring to facilitate communication among stakeholders involved in subsurface energy exploitation and carbon storage. It will collaborate with researchers and stakeholders to holistically assess potential hazards, recommend advanced monitoring techniques and strategies, and develop a forum for communication. Main outcomes will be issued as a series of plain-text factsheets.
Objective
Subsurface Evaluation of CCS and Unconventional Risks (SECURe) will gather unbiased, impartial scientific evidence for risk mitigation and monitoring for environmental protection to underpin subsurface geoenergy development. The main outputs of SECURe will comprise recommendations for best practice for unconventional hydrocarbon production and geological CO2 storage.
The project will develop monitoring and mitigation strategies for the full geoenergy project lifecycle; by assessing plausible hazards and monitoring associated environmental risks. This will be achieved through a program of experimental research and advanced technology development that will be demonstrated at commercial and research facilities to formulate best practice. We will meet stakeholder needs; from the design of monitoring and mitigation strategies relevant to operators and regulators, to developing communication strategies to provide a greater level of understanding of the potential impacts.
The SECURe partnership comprises major research and commercial organisations from countries that host shale gas and CCS industries at different stages of operation (from permitted to closed). We will form a durable international partnership with non-European groups; providing international access to study sites, creating links between projects and increasing our collective capability through exchange of scientific staff.
SECURe will provide a legacy of:
1. A network of experimental and industrial field sites as a proving ground for cutting edge technologies and to enable knowledge transfer between sectors;
2. A platform for international cooperation;
3. A scientifically sound, unbiased and independent best practice for baselining, monitoring, mitigation and remediation – within a risk-assessment framework;
4. Models and best practice guidelines for engaging different stakeholders including citizens through participatory monitoring;
5. A formal continuous training programme for researchers and students.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
SN2 1FL Swindon
United Kingdom