The rapid evolution of the carbon sequestration landscape, driven by factors such as the Inflation Reduction Act and increased demand for carbon offsetting, necessitates an efficient method for identifying economically viable opportunities. Considering CO2 capture and storage, this study presents a workflow for assessing CCUS project viability. Focusing on southern Louisiana, we identified low-cost emitters through cost calculations and paired them with nearby storage sites. A geological model of tertiary sands was developed to determine reservoir storage volumes, injectivity, storage costs, and plume migration areas using the FE/NETL CO2 Saline Storage Cost Model. We generated a risk map considering factors such as wellbore penetrations, faults, earthquakes, caprock, freshwater aquifers, and salt domes to identify areas with higher chances of costly remediation or freshwater contamination.
Our findings reveal a significant cluster of emissions in southern Louisiana with a sub $50/tonne capture breakeven, accounting for over 80 million tonnes of CO2/year. Existing and potential pipelines can connect these emitters to storage sites with capacities ranging from 17.2 to 36.8 Mt CO2/section and storage beakevens between $8.50 and $14.50/tonne. Risk assessment indicates increased risk in the northern region due to the presence of freshwater aquifers and legacy wellbore penetrations. Comprehensive understanding of CO2 storage potential along the entire value chain is essential for project success, and our proposed workflow enables holistic screening of areas for new projects, helping secure pore space before competitors and facilitating deeper modeling in low-risk areas.
As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, CCUS technology has garnered increasing attention as a potential solution. Although carbon capture has existed for decades, the large-scale deployment of integrated CCUS projects remains in its nascent stage. However, the year 2020 marked a turning point in carbon storage, with a surge in interest and announced capacity additions for projects targeting 2025 and beyond, particularly for permanent storage projects, made possible through carbon markets, low carbon fuel standards and tax incentives.
