The Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions’ CarbonNet Project is one endeavour investigating the possibility of minimising greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on the environment. The government-funded project is examining the potential for establishing a commercial scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) network involving a range of different CO2 capture projects across the state.
Capturing the issue
CCS involves capturing CO2 released by industrial processes, compressing it and then transporting it, often via pipeline infrastructure, to an injection site where it can be stored underground safely for the long term in suitable geological formations.
The practise is largely unused in Australia, although a project led by Chevron at the Gorgon gas fields in Western Australia has been in development for some time. Internationally, CCS has been used successfully, with around 23 commercial scale projects currently underway around the world.
CarbonNet Project Director Ian Filby says the project will use pipelines to connect multiple CCS schemes across the state’s Latrobe Valley and dispose of the collective CO2.
“CCS involves storing CO2 in rock formations, in the same way that oil and gas has been trapped for millions of years,” he said.
“We’re investigating a commercial scale CCS network that would transport carbon dioxide through a pipeline before injecting it deep underground into offshore storage sites under Bass Strait.”
CarbonNet was established by the Victorian Government in 2009, and its present-day incarnation consists of a team of 12 with experience across the oil and gas, geology, drilling, research and major project delivery sectors, with additional support also provided from contractors and industry advisors.
Location, location, location
Since its inception, the project has completed extensive feasibility studies, which have been subject to independent review and certification. Through research and investigation, CarbonNet concluded the Gippsland Basin would have the largest carbon dioxide storage potential on Australia’s east coast due to its proximity to offshore storage sites and relatively low transport costs.
Located offshore Ninety Mile Beach in Bass Strait, the project’s main site, Pelican, was subject to a 3D marine seismic survey beginning in January 2018. With the recovery of additional geological information, CarbonNet aims to drill an appraisal well in late 2019 or early 2020 to retrieve rock samples, which scientists will investigate to see whether they are suitable to hold the stored CO2 in place.
In addition to these field activities, CarbonNet is continuing its investigations into potential industries that can capture CO2, as well as evaluating transport pipeline routes to the selected offshore injection site. With such work on the horizon, Mr Filby says the project could provide economic benefits as well as its environmental upside.
“CarbonNet could present Gippsland with an option to secure jobs, boost skills and attract investment in new industries, like hydrogen production, while strengthening Victoria’s energy security and climate change leadership,” he says.
Supported by the experts
Although not a solution that can downsize Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions all the way to zero, those working on CarbonNet believe CCS can play a role in conjunction with various other methods. Scientific experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Energy Agency and Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel have all endorsed the potential of CCS and agree it could play a part in repelling climate change.
CarbonNet cited the potential production of hydrogen from brown coal, as outlined in the CSIRO’s hydrogen roadmap, as an opportunity for a collaborative effort in pursuing net zero emissions by 2050, while capitalising on significant domestic and export opportunities.
Up until now, CarbonNet has been a government funded initiative, with the Commonwealth and Victoria committing $150 million throughout its development; however, one of the project’s main goals in the immediate future is to attain private sector investment.
In 2020 and 2021, the project will transition to the private sector, where it will be up to the industry to decide whether or not to commit to CarbonNet.
For more information visit the Earth Resources website.
This article was featured in the February 2019 edition of The Australian Pipeliner. To view the magazine on your PC, Mac, tablet, or mobile device, click here.
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