PERTH (miningweekly.com) – US energy major Chevron this week announced that it would contribute A$38-million to carbon capture and storage (CCS) research projects in Western Australia and Victoria, advancing knowledge of the critical emissions technology for a lower carbon future.
A$22-million has been committed to the Barrow Dampier CCS Regional Study, which is led by global technology company SLB, and supports a three-dimensional seismic and storage assessment to identify new CCS opportunities in the Carnarvon basin, offshore Western Australia.
Chevron Australia has also committed A$16-million to support development of new infrastructure at the Otway International Test Centre in Victoria. The project, which is managed by Australian CCS research organisation CO2CRC, will enable testing of carbon dioxide (CO2) migration and validation of new modelling techniques that could improve storage processes in future CCS projects.
Chevron Australia general manager: asset development Michelle LaPoint said the company was committed to advancing the deployment of CCS technology in Australia.
“Chevron has decades of operational experience, a proven track record of carbon-capture projects and is already deploying CCS technologies in locations across the globe, including at Gorgon in Western Australia, one of the world’s largest integrated CCS projects,” LaPoint said.
“Our experience continues to reaffirm our confidence in the emissions reduction opportunities of CCS and we’re proud to support SLB and CO2CRC in projects that will advance research into this critical technology.”
When completed, the two projects will satisfy Chevron’s expenditure commitments under a good standing agreement entered into by Chevron Australia and the Joint Authority for the Commonwealth/South Australia offshore area with respect to Exploration Permits EPP44 and EPP45 in the Great Australian Bight.
Chevron in 2021 conceded that it had failed to capture sufficient greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions at its Gorgon oil and gas project and was now working with the Western Australian regulator to make up the shortfall. The company at the time announced a A$40-million investment in lower carbon projects in Western Australia to address this shortfall.
Under the terms of the project’s approval, the Gorgon liquefied natural gas operation is meant to capture four-million tonnes a year of CO2, or 80% of the carbon extracted from its reservoir gas, and reduce GHG emissions by more than 100-million tonnes over the life of the injection project.