CO2CRC has announced the successful completion of the safe injection of CO2 into a saline formation 1.5km below ground at the Otway International Test Centre (OITC) in Nirranda South, Victoria.
This is a major milestone in CO2CRC’s Otway Stage 3 Project which is developing next generation subsurface CO2 monitoring and verification technologies for application in commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
The CO2 has been safely injected deep into the subsurface, marking the end of field operations for the Otway Stage 3 Project. A total of 15,050 tonnes of CO2 was injected, bringing the total volume of CO2 safely and securely stored at the OITC since commencement of operations in 2007 to just over 95,000 tonnes.
CO2CRC and site operator, UPS, maintained their exemplary health, safety and environment (HSE) record at the OITC. No lost time injuries were recorded for the whole operations campaign, meaning 14 years of operations without a lost time injury.
“With the field operations phase of the Otway Stage 3 Project completed successfully, we now turn our full attention to the scientific deliverables of the project,” said David Byers, Chief Executive of CO2CRC.
“The monitoring and verification technology infrastructure now in place at the OITC provide significant improvements in data collection and processing time and allow the scientists to track an image of the CO2 plume on demand as it moves through the storage reservoir.
“Working with our partners CSIRO, Curtin University, and the University of Sydney we will analyse the data and conduct detailed techno-economic studies on the Stage 3 technologies. We aim to validate our initial estimates of the potential for monitoring cost reductions of up to 75 percent for commercial scale CCS projects,” he said.
Key to the success of field operations has been the involvement and support received from local landowners and the Nirranda community who have been consulted and kept informed of project developments over the last five years.
“We thank local landholders and community members. Without the continuing support of our local community, this world leading scientific research would not be possible” he said.
The $45 million Otway Stage 3 project is jointly funded by the Commonwealth Government’s Education Investment Fund (EIF), Low Emissions Technology Australia (LETA) through ANLEC R&D, BHP and the Victorian State Government.
