European Research Institutions Join Forces in a New Scientific Project
A new project titled ENOS (ENabling ONshore CO₂ storage in Europe), bringing together nearly 30 research institutions, was launched in September 2016. Supported by the EU Horizon 2020 programme, the project’s main goals are to:
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gain more field experience relevant to geological CO₂ storage,
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improve site selection and monitoring tools and techniques, and
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enhance communication between the scientific community and the public regarding CO₂ storage.
The project will run until August 2020.
ENOS aims to accelerate the development of onshore CO₂ storage sites located close to large point sources of emissions. Several pilot sites with varying geological conditions will be closely studied, and best practice examples will be developed to serve as guidance for future users. In this way, ENOS will demonstrate that CO₂ storage is both safe and environmentally sustainable, thereby increasing public and stakeholder confidence in carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a viable climate mitigation strategy.
CO₂ Injection Testing
Several onshore locations were selected for CO₂ injection tests. At the Hontomín pilot site in Spain, 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ will be injected into a limestone formation at a depth of 1,500 meters. Key parameters will be monitored to assess the reservoir’s response and demonstrate that storage operations do not negatively affect the environment. Innovative injection strategies will also be tested to optimize storage performance while ensuring both short- and long-term safety.
At two other locations, advanced techniques for detecting CO₂ beneath the surface will be tested. These are designed to rapidly identify even minimal leakage, although such events are considered highly unlikely. The field experiments simulate leak scenarios in different geological settings by injecting CO₂ into a shallow aquifer and into a fault zone. The shallow aquifer site, proposed by the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Survey, is essentially a field laboratory near Nottingham called the GeoEnergy Testbed. The fault zone site, known as the Sulcis Fault Lab, is located in Sardinia, Italy.
The list of pilot storage sites under study also includes LBr-1 in the Czech Republic and Q16 Maas in the Netherlands.
50 Million Tonnes of CO₂ Already Safely Stored
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a key technology for mitigating climate change, as detailed in its Special Report (2005). CCS offers a bridging solution between a fossil-fuel-based present and a low-carbon future. When combined with bioenergy, CCS can even deliver negative emissions by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.
After more than 25 years of research, 15 full-scale industrial CCS projects are now operational worldwide. Six new projects were expected to go live in 2017, with 17 more in development. Captured CO₂—from coal-fired power plants, natural gas processing, cement production, steel manufacturing, etc.—is stored in deep saline aquifers or depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, making CCS a practical reality.
To date, approximately 50 million tonnes of CO₂ have been safely stored underground. While this is only 0.06% of the global reduction target for 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recommends scaling this up to 90 gigatonnes of stored CO₂ by 2050, alongside other low-carbon measures, in order to limit global warming to below 2°C as set by the Paris Agreement, ratified on 4 November 2016.
About ENOS
The ENOS (ENabling ONshore CO₂ storage in Europe) project is coordinated by BRGM (French Geological Survey). It started in September 2016 and will run for four years. It unites 29 organizations from 17 countries, with a total budget of €12.5 million provided by the Horizon 2020 programme, supplemented by partner and national co-funding. ENOS was initiated by CO₂GeoNet, the European Network of Excellence on CO₂ geological storage.
ENOS Partners (* = CO₂GeoNet member)
- Austria – GBA*
- Belgium – GSB-RBINS*
- Croatia – UNIZG-RGNF*
- Czech Republic – Czech Geological Survey*
- Denmark – GEUS*
- Estonia – TTUGI*
- France – BRGM* (Coordinator), Flodim, Geogreen, IDIL
- Germany – BGR*
- Italy – NHAZCA, OGS*, Sapienza University of Rome*, Sotacarbo
- Netherlands – TNO*
- Norway – IRIS*, NIVA, SPR SINTEF
- Poland – PGI*
- Romania – GeoEcoMar*
- Slovakia – SGUDS
- Slovenia – GEOINZ*
- Spain – CIEMAT, CIUDEN*, IGME*
- Switzerland – ETH*
- Turkey – METU-PAL*
- United Kingdom – BGS*, Heriot-Watt University*, Silixa, University of Nottingham