Notes from trip to CO2CRC Otway Project • Current expected in crease in power g eneration costs for C CS is $35- 45 per MWh (conditions apply) • Aim to r educe costs of CCS down to $15-20 per MWh (didn 't say h ow) • Methods to scrub CO2 from flue gas ◦ Solvents ◦ Adsorbents ◦ Membranes ◦ Membrane /sol vent ◦ Low tempera tue - cr yog enics ◦ Low tempera tur e - h ydr ates • Post co mbu stion or pre-combust ion sc rub bing • The proje ct Stage 1 is suspend ed. It has stopped in jecting CO2 into the ground. Stage 1 has been called successful, with 65,000 tonnes CO2 injected with no leaks detected. • They take samples - atmos pheric, soil and ground water, in cluding seismic surveys. The next seismic survey is due early 2010. • Otway was ch osen as an are fo r the pro ject becau se it has a naturally o ccurring CO2 source as well as a depleted gas reservoir that could be used for storage. There is food grade CO2 (e.g. soft drinks, beer) production nearby from the natural CO2 reservoirs. They are using an existing Santos CO2 well at 'Buttress' that was unused because it was not viable (I think they said only 80% CO2, 20% other gases including methane) as the "production well" - government compulsory acquisition - it is drilled to about 1800 m. They drilled a injection well into a depleted gas reservoir (possibly methane or CO2). This injection well is called CRC-1. • Stage 2 of the project will pote ntially invo lve injec ting CO2 into a saline formation (aquifer). This is not ground water as such but saline unusable water. • Otway is n ot goin g to b e used for commercial sequestr ation - it is jus t a demonstration/research plant. For one thing it is too far away from Latrobe valley. Commercial sequestration, if it is possible, has been flagged for 3 areas in the Gippsland basin. • commun ity conce rn has been s ubjectively called a "low" level, with the qu estion most asked by landholders being will the CO2 affect our water? • The area of the depleted gas res erve where CRC-1 well has inje cted into is approximately 100 km sq. • They have a 2 - 3 years monitoring program (no sure what will happen after that) • The injectio n has be en into a depleted gas field which has a seal ro ck above it (CO2 naturally rises up to the seal rock) • 2km d epth is where CRC- 1 ha s dri lled to • Parante (sp elling?) is the name of the saline aqu ifer - CO2 will disso lve, become dense, sink, form calcium carbonate • they cond uct deep subsurfa ce monito ring as well as geo chemical monitor ing and micro seismic monitoring. They measure soundwaves with 24 geophones. u-tube sampling? Once a week the local uni comes out to do the sampling. They use atmospheric and solar monitoring poles. • The video they playe d called geosequ estration a "sustainable wa y to de crease CO2 emissions" which I lolled at. • Stage 1 has cost $40 million • By 2010 it will have b een goin g for 7 y ears from the start o f the proje ct (even before land aquisition) • They use a s tainless steel pipeline • Emissions produced while sequestering has b een abo ut 35 tonnes GHG / 4000 tonnes CO2 sequestered.
