Victoria is establishing itself as a world leader in tackling carbon emissions, with a new project backed by the Andrews Labor Government under way at the CO2CRC Otway National Research Facility in the state’s south-west.
Minister for Resources Jaclyn Symes today visited the research project, which is developing a more cost-effective way to monitor captured and stored carbon dioxide in real time.
The Otway research centre near Port Campbell is Australia’s first demonstration of deep geological storage for carbon dioxide – the most common greenhouse gas – with research studying the process of carbon capture and storage.
The CSS process involves taking carbon dioxide produced by industry and storing it deep underground so it cannot enter the atmosphere and could have a critical role to play across the world, based on the latest climate science.
Captured carbon dioxide is injected into secure geological formations like the rocks that have stored oil and gas for thousands of years.
A third stage of works, supported by $5 million from the Labor Government, is under way at the research centre with four 1.6-kilometre-deep monitoring wells now drilled and fitted with fibre-optic cables and other technology as efforts intensify in the drive to reduce the cost of monitoring stored carbon dioxide.
This research can be applied to onshore and offshore environments, making it a valuable investment for a range of potential uses including the Labor Government’s CarbonNet Project which is investigating the potential for a commercial-scale CCS network in Gippsland.
The network would allow industry to meet greenhouse gas emission commitments by linking multiple carbon dioxide capture facilities in the Latrobe Valley, transporting gas via a shared pipeline and injecting it deep underground into a secure offshore storage site in Bass Strait.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Resources Jaclyn Symes
“We are growing Victorian industries and boosting local jobs while standing firm on our climate action targets – new technology like CCS could play a huge part in our sustainable future.”
“We are lucky to have a world-class research facility in regional Victoria to support the development of important regional infrastructure like CarbonNet to build new clean industries.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020