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  • State and RWE Dea launch CO2 storage project to aid climate protection
    édité le 13/03/2008 - Plus de news de "RWE" - Voir la fiche entreprise de "RWE"


State and RWE Dea launch CO2 storage project to aid climate protection
The German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein and RWE Dea AG are launching a project aimed at eliminating emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2 into the atmosphere, by permanently storing the gas underground. Following the allocation last year of research grants in the order of 25 million euros to the University of Kiel and the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences IFM-GEOMAR to investigate methods of CO2 sequestration on land and at sea, the first geological surveys are to be carried out in the state of Schleswig-Holstein this year.

As explained by the Minister for Science Dietrich Austermann and the Minister for the Environment Dr. Christian von Boetticher in Kiel today, the project is linked to the development of the so-called CCS technology (“Carbon Capture and Storage” –Separation and Storage of CO2). According to Austermann, preliminary investigations indicate that the North German region is worthy of consideration as a potential location for the storage of CO2. A prerequisite for such a storage facility were saltwater-bearing rock formations, such as are found below the North German lowland plain. Austermann: “Compared with the other states, Schleswig-Holstein offers more favourable conditions and could be considered an ideal location.”

Given this background, the energy company RWE Dea has applied for permission from the State Department for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) to explore three regions in Schleswig-Holstein for their suitability for CO2 storage. These regions are located in North Frisia, in East Holstein and offshore under the North Sea, outside the twelve-mile zone.

According to Austermann, the intention is to use the new CCS technology to neutralise the carbon dioxide emissions from the coal-fired power stations in Schleswig-Holstein especially, making them carbon-neutral. "This is because carbon dioxide under ground is better than carbon dioxide above ground – and modern coal-fired power stations are better than old ones,” said Austermann in reference to the planned coal-fired power stations to be built in Brunsbüttel, Kiel and Hamburg. Furthermore, in view of the agreement to abandon nuclear energy, fossil fuels would remain an important part of the energy mix in Germany during a transitional period. Austermann also pointed out that the projected revenues in form of royalties represented a “positive fiscal side-effect”.

Environment Minister Dr. Christian von Boetticher said the intention to use the new CSS technology to make a contribution to climate protection also found expression in a EU Directive proposed by the EU Commission at the beginning of the year, as well as in several projects for the separation and storage of CO2 sponsored by the federal government. Von Boetticher: “Climate protection is one of the biggest challenges we must face. The climate protection targets set for Germany which, among other things, provide for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 30 to 40 per cent by the year 2020 will require a complete package of ambitious measures, such as the greater use of renewable fuels, co-generation and the insulation of buildings. For as long as we have to rely on fossil fuels, we must make use of every option to minimise the proportion of greenhouse gases in this area. I will monitor all future developments to ensure that only environmentally compatible solutions will be implemented. In the case of CO2 storage, for example, we will be looking closely at issues such as the protection of seawater and drinking water, as well as how to ensure the impermeability of the storage facility.”

“CCS is an important issue for the energy sector worldwide,” said Dr. Georg Schöning, the CEO of RWE Dea. “We are convinced that CCS is a bridging technology that can make a significant contribution to climate protection.” In the RWE Group, RWE Dea is responsible for the search for petroleum and natural gas. The company has also been operating high-volume porous natural gas storage facilities in Bavaria for over 30 years, using a technology similar to that proposed for the storage of CO2. In Germany, storage locations for CO2 worthy of consideration are mainly saltwater-bearing rock formation, so-called saline formations, located at depths of 1,000 metres and more, and with an overburden of impermeable rock. “The existence of deposits of natural gas that have been stored for millions of years demonstrates clearly that gases can be safely locked inside geological formations for long periods,” said Schöning.

He added that one of the first steps to take in the search for suitable rock formations were the accurate measurement of the geology by means of a seismic survey. To this end, sound waves generated on the surface, or at shallow depths below the surface, are reflected by the boundaries between rock formations and recorded at the surface using special measuring devices. The data is then analysed. Once permission for the RWE Dea project has been received, the results of the seismic survey could be available as early as the end of 2009. If current expectations by geologists are confirmed, an exploratory well could be drilled in the early summer 2010 in an attempt to confirm the presence of a suitable CO2 storage formation. “It is only once all the data from the seismic survey and the exploratory well is available that we can decide whether the rock formations are suitable for the storage of CO2,” said Schöning.

The exploration of permit areas is a standard method used in the search for petroleum and gas and is prepared in a systematic and scientifically sound manner. The University of Kiel and other research institutes support the search for a safe storage location for CO2 through specially designed research programme. If all the geological pre-conditions are found to be as required, the end of the exploration phase could lead to the construction and operation of a CO2 storage facility in Schleswig-Holstein. Current RWE Dea forecasts of the investment required for the construction of such a facility run to about 60 million euros, according to information provided by the company. With annual operating costs estimated at around four million euros, RWE Dea is making a contribution to the economic strength of Schleswig-Holstein. Overall, some 20 new jobs could be created directly, with another 60 jobs resulting indirectly.

The President of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Kümpel, referred to this project as an “important milestone” on the road to implementing the CCS technology in Germany. “In this project supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, it will the first time that deep saline formations will be investigated in terms of their suitability for the storage of CO2 on an industrial scale.” Aside from depleted natural gas fields, these were the only rock formations in Germany that could be considered for CCS. As the science coordinator of this project, the BGR would be able to bring its wealth of expertise in this area to bear. Prof. Kümpel emphasized that “The aim of this exploration project is to find proof that saline formations used as a storage medium can guarantee the required long-term safety”.


Origine : Communiqué RWE

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