Report Outlines Potential of Carbon Capture and Storage System at Moneypoint and Kinsale Gas Field
Media Information
17th September 2008
Offshore facility has capacity to store 330 million tonnes of CO2 and reduce Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions by 6% per annum
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have today published the findings of a report into the potential for the capture and geological storage of CO2 on the island of Ireland. The report titled, An Assessment of the Potential for Geological Storage of CO2 for the Island of Ireland, is the first major study of its kind into Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in Ireland. It has identified Kinsale Head Gas Field off the south coast of Ireland as the best short term option, subject to further geological analysis, for offshore storage on the island. The Kinsale field is estimated to have the potential to store up to 330 million tonnes of CO2 and could reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 6% annually.
Carbon capture and storage involves capturing CO2 from sources such as fossil fuel power plants and storing it geologically. The process requires power plants to be specially designed or retrofitted for carbon capture and located within close proximity to the storage site. The report has highlighted that by using storage at Kinsale Gas Field, the Moneypoint generating station in Co.Clare could be replaced with a coal fuelled CCS system.
Mr. Eamon Ryan, Minister for Energy, Communications and Natural Resources, said; “As we consider the significant challenges posed by energy security and climate change, we will need to carefully consider all tools at our disposal. This report by SEI is thus an important development in informing future decisions regarding energy technologies. This initial study has indicated that carbon capture and storage may become a viable option for Ireland in the medium term, but considerably more analysis is still required.”
The EU expects to see wide scale deployment of CCS from 2020 onwards and has identified the need for up to 12 pilot plants to be operational across Europe by 2015 with work commencing from 2009. It is anticipated that EU funding may be available through FP7 and other structural funds for the development of CCS in Ireland. Draft legislation is available from the EU covering the development and operation of CO2 geological storage locations.
The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the primary mechanism which is used to limit emissions from fossil power generators by forcing producers to pay for the excess emissions they produce. Under Phase 3 of the ETS, due to commence in 2013, CO2 emitters are likely to face increasing costs associated with their emissions. In this context CCS may start to become a viable commercial option for power generators.
According to the report, the total cost of developing the CCS facility at Moneypoint in addition to the development of the storage site at Kinsale is estimated to be 2.7 billion euro. Over the 25 year lifetime of the plant, it is estimated that the total cost difference between a coal fired CCS plant and a conventional plant may be 50 – 60% greater depending on the technology option chosen. In this case the cost of avoided emissions for the CCS plant would be in the range of 31 to 47 euro per tonne. This implies that if the price for carbon emissions increases from the present 25 euro per tonne, and power companies are forced to pay for all of their emissions, CCS may become a more economical solution rather than paying the cost of emissions directly.
Graham Brennan, SEI said; “This is the first analysis of its kind undertaken into the area of Carbon Capture and Storage in Ireland. The report indicates that there may be a number of offshore geological sites suitable for CO2 storage which would require significant further analysis. In addition, CCS may also allow Ireland to diversify its fuel supply and reduce its dependence on natural gas for electricity generation.”
According to the report there are a considerable number of additional offshore basins which may also be suitable for storing CO2 emissions from fossil burning power stations. The study made a preliminary estimate which shows that there could be enough geological locations accessible to the island of Ireland to store up to 5,000 million tonnes of CO2 but further research is required. If this potential could be accessed then it could one day be sufficient to store the emissions produced by the electricity sector for up to 250 years. This presently accounts for 21% of all of the emissions in the Republic of Ireland.
Dr. Mary Kelly, EPA Director General said “This project is an important part of the EPA’s programme of climate change research. It represents the first step in evaluating carbon capture and storage in an Irish context. However, the deployment of this technology is still at a relatively early stage. Further research in this area is urgently required if we are to be assured of the environmental integrity and environmental impacts of CCS.”
Saline aquifers in the offshore Portpatrick Basin may be capable of providing storage for 58 years of emissions from the Kilroot coal-fired power station in Northern Ireland. However, limited data are available and 10 years work might be needed to characterise and prepare the development of a storage site in the Portpatrick Basin. This investment would be required to gain the same level of information which already exists for the Kinsale Gas Field therefore, depleted gas and oil fields are likely to provide the first opportunities to store CO2.
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Editors Notes:
About SEI
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is the statutory authority charged with promoting and assisting the development of sustainable energy. SEI is funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan, with programmes part-financed by the European Union.
Please click here to download a copy of this press release in PDF format.
Please click here to download a copy of the full report in PDF format.
Appendix I and Appendix II which accompany this report can also be downloaded here.
