EPSRC Project: CASSEM - CO2 Aquifer Storage Site Evaluation and Monitoring

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a crucial technology to enable the decarbonisation of fossil fuel electricity generation. The UK has considerable potential for geological storage of CO2 under the North Sea and extensive offshore industry experience that could be applied. While initial storage is likely to be undertaken in depleted oil and gas fields, much larger saline aquifer formations are estimated to have sufficient capacity to securely contain 100 years of current UK fossil fuel power plant CO2 emissions. The CO2 Aquifer Storage Site Evaluation and Monitoring (CASSEM) project brings together the experience and different working practices of utilities, offshore operators, engineering contractors, and academic researchers to build collective understanding and develop expertise. CASSEM produced both new scientific knowledge and detailed insight into the CCS industry, developing best-value methods for the evaluation of saline aquifer formations for CO2 storage. Alongside work to assess the storage potential of two saline aquifer formations in close proximity to large coal power plant, CASSEM applied a novel Features, Events and Processes method to explore perceptions of risk in the work undertaken. This identified areas of industry and research community uncertainty and unfamiliarity to enable targeted investment of resource to reduce overall project risk. An openly accessible and flexible full chain (CO2 capture, transport and storage) costing model was developed allowing the CCS community to assess and explore overall costs. CASSEM's work also included the first use of citizen panels in the regions investigated for storage to assess public perception and educate the general public about CCS.

碳捕集与封存（CCS）技术是实现化石燃料发电脱碳化的关键。英国在北海地区拥有巨大的地质存储二氧化碳的潜力，并积累了丰富的海上工业经验，这些经验均可应用于此。尽管初始存储可能将在枯竭的油气田中进行，但据估计，更大规模的盐水含水层结构拥有足够的容量，能够安全地容纳当前英国化石燃料发电厂100年的二氧化碳排放量。二氧化碳含水层存储场地评价与监测（CASSEM）项目汇集了公用事业、海上运营商、工程承包商和学术研究人员的工作经验与不同工作实践，旨在构建集体理解并发展专业能力。CASSEM不仅产生了新的科学知识，还对CCS行业进行了深入细致的分析，开发了用于评估盐水含水层结构二氧化碳存储的最佳价值方法。在评估靠近大型燃煤电厂的两个盐水含水层结构的存储潜力之际，CASSEM应用了一种新颖的特征、事件和过程方法，以探讨工作中所承担的风险感知。这识别出了工业和研究社区中的不确定性和不熟悉领域，以便有针对性地投资资源以降低整体项目风险。该项目还开发了一种开放获取且灵活的全链（二氧化碳捕集、运输和存储）成本模型，使CCS社区能够评估和探索整体成本。CASSEM的工作还包括在调查区域首次使用公民评审团，以评估公众对CCS的看法并教育公众关于CCS的知识。