© Image - Google 2018

• Drilling concludes at Pelican!
• Golden Beach community information session
• Out on the rig with 10 News
• Australia and Japan recognise the importance of hydrogen and fuel cells
• Australia's Chief Scientist on hydrogen and CCS
• More CCS, offshore wind and hydrogen required for UK net zero target
• CarbonNet staff update
• CCS news from around the world
• Upcoming events

On 24 January the Noble Tom Prosser drilling rig completed operations on CarbonNet’s offshore appraisal well at the prospective CO₂ storage site, Pelican, and demobilised to its next operation.

On the rig more than 100 crew worked daily in shifts for almost eight weeks to complete the well, which was drilled to a depth of approximately 1,500m beneath the sea bed.

An extensive dataset was successfully recovered during the operation, including geological formation rock and fluid samples and high-quality wireline formation logs.  

CarbonNet would like to acknowledge AGR Australia, Noble Corp and our many other contributing service partners for their commitment to health, safety and environmental protection, leading to the successful delivery and achievement of the well’s objectives.

What happens now?

Over the next 6-12 months the rock samples (cores and rock chips) will be analysed in laboratories to confirm their detailed composition (mineralogy and grain size), and physical properties including porosity (the amount of space available to be filled by fluids like formation water or CO₂), permeability (the ease with which fluids can flow through the rocks) and their strength and chemical resistance to CO₂.

Along with the data acquired from the 2018 marine seismic survey the well data will be used to model and assess the suitability of the site for long-term storage of CO₂.

Watch a video of the rig being floated off from the OHT Osprey (heavy lift vessel) in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne.

Image: The Noble Tom Prosser on site at Pelican, December 2019. © CarbonNet.

CarbonNet's Acting Project Director Steve Marshall was interviewed on the Noble Tom Prosser by 10 News while the rig was drilling offshore.

Watch the news segment to learn more about our drilling program.

Following the recent Japan‐Australia Ministerial Economic Dialogue in Melbourne, the two nations released a joint statement on cooperation on hydrogen and fuel cells.

The statement recognises that hydrogen is a key contributor to reducing emissions, especially when produced from renewable energy or fossil fuels combined with carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

The statement also recognises the importance of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project in Victoria as a cornerstone of the two nations' bilateral economic relationship. Should HESC proceed to commercialisation it will require a carbon storage solution, such as CarbonNet.

Read more about the Joint Statement of Cooperation.

Image: Launch of the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier at Kobe, Japan, December 2019. Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

In an opinion piece in The Age, Australia's Chief Scientist Professor Alan Finkel discussed his interest in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.

Hydrogen has many applications including transport, heating and industrial use. It also has unrivalled suitability as an energy export from Australia to the rest of the world.

Read Professor Finkel's views on hydrogen and CCS in The Age. 

The UK will need to upscale its investment in technologies such as CCS, offshore wind and hydrogen if it is to achieve its 2050 Net Zero emissions target, according to a new report.

Last year the UK's Committee on Climate Change recommended a range of technologies to help the UK reach its net zero target, and the report noted that there is a significant capacity gap in several technologies that are considered essential in helping the UK achieve its targets.

Read more about the UK's net zero technology requirements.

Image: London by David Mark/Pixabay.

CarbonNet’s Project Director, Ian Filby is taking a well-deserved break and is currently on long service leave, through to June 2020. Steve Marshall has assumed the role of Acting Project Director while Ian is on leave.

Since 2018, Steve has been the CarbonNet Operations Director. He has 20 years of Oil & Gas and Carbon Capture & Storage project development and operational execution experience.

The CarbonNet team is now reporting through to Ben Stewart, Head of Commercial, Rural and Regional Victoria.  Steve and Ben both look forward to meeting many of you over the coming weeks and months.

US leads new wave of carbon capture and storage deployment
(The Hill)

5 January 2020 - 'CCS has long been recognized as necessary to address climate change, yet its scale-up has been lagging. There are now 19 large-scale CCS in operation globally, four under construction, and 28 in various stages of development. The facilities pipeline has replenished over the past 24 months, with close to 100 million tonnes of CO₂ annual capture capacity.'

Read more about CCS in the United States.

Svante, LafargeHolcim, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures and Total launch study for commercial-scale carbon capture and end-use at U.S. plant
(Total)

6 January 2020 - 'Svante Inc., LafargeHolcim, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (OLCV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Occidental, and Total today announced a joint study to assess the viability and design of a commercial-scale carbon-capture facility at the Holcim Portland Cement Plant in Florence, Colorado, U.S.

The study will evaluate the cost of the facility designed to capture up to 725,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year directly from the LafargeHolcim cement plant, which would be sequestered underground permanently by Occidental.'

Read more about capturing CO2 from the cement plant.
 

Meeting the Dual Challenge: A Roadmap to At-Scale Deployment of Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage
(National Petroleum Council (US))

The National Petroleum Council has released a report on carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) which 'concludes that at-scale deployment requires strong collaboration between industry and government; improved policies, financial incentives, and regulations; broad-based innovation and technology development; and increased understanding and confidence in CCUS–to create a roadmap for achieving at-scale deployment over the next 25 years.'

Read the report Meeting the Dual Challenge.

• 4 February 2020 - The Global Status of CCS: The Next Wave of Carbon Capture, Washington DC

For further information about the CarbonNet Project:

Phone: 136 186

Email: carbonnet.info@ecodev.vic.gov.au

Web: earthresources.vic.gov.au/carbonnet