Vattenfall - Demonstration projects

Demonstration projects

Since the early 1970s CO₂ has been injected into subsurface geological formations by the oil industry to prolong the lifespan of oil fields. In the 1970s, geological storage was for the first time mentioned as a climate change mitigation option.

A number of CO₂ projects related to gas reservoirs are currently ongoing or being studied from a global perspective. Many of them are using depleted gas reservoirs for storage purposes only, but several projects involving CO₂ storage combined with Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR) are emerging.

Since the 1990s several initiatives for research projects on storage of CO₂ have evolved.

Atzbach-Schwanenstadt

The Atzbach-Schwanenstadt gas field is located in north-central Austria and has been investigated as part of the CASTOR project. It is an almost depleted gas field at a depth of 1,400–1,600 metres. The option of turning the gas field into a CO₂ storage site with the possibility of enhanced gas recovery was investigated during the CASTOR project but up until now, no decision has been made by the operator about how to continue.

K12B

The K12B gas field is located off the coast of the Netherlands. Gaz de France has undertaken a feasibility study for EGR, and since 2004 it has been successfully injecting CO₂ that is separated from the gas produced on site. The operation is planned to last 20 years in total.

In Salah

The In Salah project is a joint venture of BP, Sonatrach and Statoil. The In Salah project is the world's first large-scale commercial storage project where CO₂ is injected into a gas reservoir.

Sleipner

Since 1996 CO₂ has been injected into a large, deep, saline formation below the seabed of the North Sea. The Sleipner project is operated by Statoil. It is the first commercial-scale project dedicated to geological storage of CO₂ in a saline formation.

Snøhvit

The Snøhvit field is located offshore to the north of Norway. Statoil has received approval to inject the CO₂ separated from the gas produced in the Snøhvit field into an aquifer called the Tubåen Formation located below the gas reservoir. The operation is planned to last for more than 20 years.

Weyburn

Since 2001, CO₂ has been captured in a power plant in the US and transported to the Weyburn site where 2 million tonnes of CO₂ have been stored each year.