Carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is expected to play a significant role in the global climate response, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). CCS technology offers the opportunity to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from large industrial facilities, such as steel, chemical and power plants.

Globally, there are 21 large-scale CCS projects in operation or under construction, with a combined capacity to capture around 40 million tonnes of CO₂ each year. CCS will be essential for meeting the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C. According to the IEA, reaching this goal will require 6,000 million tonnes of CO₂ to be stored by 2050, equivalent to about 100 times the global CCS capacity in place by the end of 2017.

Shell and CCS

We are operating the Quest CCS project (Shell interest 10%) in Alberta, Canada to capture and store CO₂ from the Scotford Upgrader, a plant where bitumen is turned into synthetic crude oil. In less than two years and ahead of schedule, Quest has captured and safely stored more than 2 million tonnes of CO₂. This represents around a third of the upgrader's direct GHG emissions. We developed a rigorous monitoring programme for Quest, agreed by the government and verified by a third party, to ensure the CO₂ remains safely underground. This includes continuous pipeline monitoring and early-warning systems, groundwater sampling and 3D seismic surveying.

Carbon capture technology developed by Shell Cansolv, a subsidiary of Shell, is also used at the Boundary Dam power station in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is SaskPower’s largest coal-fired power station and a significant source of power for the region. Both sulphur dioxide and CO₂ are captured from the power station. We continue to support SaskPower to improve the application of the technology. Around 2 million tonnes of CO₂ have been captured and stored since the CCS facility started operating in 2014.

At Technology Centre Mongstad, Shell, together with the Norwegian government and energy companies Statoil and Total, will carry out further research and development to reduce the cost of CCS technology. In 2017, we reaffirmed our commitment to participate in continued testing at the centre until 2020.

In October 2017, Shell entered a partnership to continue to develop CO₂ storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. The project is part of the Norwegian government’s efforts to develop full-scale CCS in the country.

Shell is also investing in the Gorgon CO₂ injection project in Australia, which is operated by Chevron and will be the world’s largest CCS operation when completed. Gorgon CCS will separate and reinject between 3 to 4 million tonnes of CO₂ each year. Over the life of the project, it is expected that around 100 million tonnes of CO₂ will be captured and stored.

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), comprised of 10 major oil and gas companies, including Shell, has made carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology one of its priorities. In 2017, OGCI’s investment arm Climate Investments made its first investments in technology to capture CO₂ emissions and store them safely in the ground. This includes ways to reinject the CO₂ captured from industrial processes, such as cement production.

How carbon capture and storage works

See what's involved in the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide deep underground

1Capture 2Transport 3Storage 4Measuring

1

Capture

CO₂ capture separates CO₂ from gas, before it is emitted, using a chemical solvent. The captured CO₂ is separated from the solvent and compressed into a liquid form for transport.

There are three different process technologies to capture CO₂:

• Pre-combustion
• Post-combustion
• Post-combustion
• and Oxyfuel.

2

Transport

CO₂ is generally pumped through a pipeline, taking the CO₂ from the industrial site where it has been produced, to its storage site which may be onshore or offshore.

3 Close

Storage

CO₂ is injected deep underground into the microscopic spaces in porous rocks. A layer of impermeable rock, called a cap rock, lies directly above the porous rocks ensuring that the CO₂ remains there permanently.

4

Measuring, monitoring & verification

Monitoring of storage sites takes place within the storage reservoir, as well as at the injection well, where sensors can detect small changes in pressure or CO₂ levels. In addition, a number of monitoring technologies can be incorporated within the geosphere, biosphere and atmosphere surrounding the storage site to make sure the CO₂ is permanently stored.

CCS contribution

The IEA considers that CCS, as part of a portfolio of actions, can account for 14% of total energy-related CO₂ reductions needed by 2060.