Carbon Sequestration around the World
As more and more evidence of global warming is accumulated carbon capture projects appear on the horizon. According to MIT’s website Norway, Canada, Algeria, and the Netherlands already have some sort of carbon storage technology operating.
The first carbon sequestration project, called Sleipner, is located in Norway’s North Sea. The project was built by Statoil to avoid paying Norway’s carbon dioxide taxes. It deposits CO2 1000m below sea level. As of now it has deposited 8-9 MT of CO2. There is not yet any evidence to indicate leakage. Injection currently costs $17 US / Tonne CO2.
Sleipner is the world's first commercial CO2 storage project.
The US effort to develop carbon storage technology is beginning in Decatur, Illinois. The Department of Energy has awarded a $66.7 million dollar grant for the $84.3 million dollar project. The project has been approved to test the storage capacity of the sandstone in that region. Drilling is scheduled to begin this April with injection hopefully beginning June of 2009.
Many additional projects exist. The MIT website really provides a good look at what has been done and what is being planed. It is interesting that most of the projects are economically motivated. Usually to avoid taxes associated with the release of carbon dioxide. Could the US be more forward thinking in carbon sequestration projects? Many of the companies currently undertaking these projects are international oil companies. Apache, BP Stratoil, Chevron Texaco are some of the companies investing in capture technology. If they are investing elsewhere should they be made to invest in the US?
Links
http://sequestration.mit.edu/index.html
http://www.energy.gov/5781.htm
Comments
I have no hope that our current federal leadership will do anything on this issue. They are very good at stalling and asking for more research.
I hope the next set of US elections will bring in some people who can see the problem as something to be addressed, something to work on and not just a bit of ideology to spin around.
I want someone who can admit that there is a reason for concern, and will do at least the easy stuff that has a straitforward payback - like conservation and a small energy tax to pay for the research and development of new energy programs (Hey it is great that energy costs have gone up and people are focusing on saving energy - it would be even better if that extra cost went to the gov't to fund the next generation energy system rather than to Exxon for their next shrimp and lobster dinner for shareholders...)
Posted by: Steve Sternberg | April 4, 2008 11:19 AM
So what happens to the CO2 after it is 1000m below sea level? I feel like there has got to be a problem with that.
Steve I agree, as I'm learning more about these problems, the government needs the money to solve these problems more than red lobster. ha
Posted by: Elizabeth Kokesh | April 14, 2008 8:15 PM