Worldwide Selection of Early Opportunities for CO2-EOR and CO2-ECBM (1)

One of the technologies that have the potential to make deep reductions in CO 2 emissions is geological storage of CO 2 . Deep reductions in CO 2 emissions will most probably be needed to achieve stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. There are several options for geological storage that can be divided into two groups: storage without energy benefits (for example, in aquifers or in depleted gas and oil reservoirs) and with energy benefits. The latter group can be cost effective, even without CO 2 credits or taxes, because of revenues from oil or gas production. It is, therefore, likely that these options give an added value to each ton of CO 2 prevented from emission to the atmosphere, and have the potential to be the first projects to be implemented in the near future. As a matter a fact, due to its cost effectiveness, enhanced oil recovery with CO 2 (CO 2 -EOR) is already applied by the oil and gas industry, mostly in the United States and Canada. These low costs opportunities combine high purity (100%) CO 2 gas streams, which lower capture costs, with short transmission distance and potentially profitable CO 2 enhanced fossil fuel recovery schemes such as CO 2 -EOR and CO 2 -ECBM. Such low cost opportunities should provide options for early implementation of CO 2 capture and storage projects worldwide. The study has used a Geographical Information System to link high purity CO 2 point sources to oil and gas reservoirs within 100 km of the point source.