Bids open for offshore CO2 storage exploration despite ‘lack of protocols’
The national government has declared fresh locations for possible carbon storage in the ocean and invited Australian and international investors to submit proposals for permits to explore these areas.
The opportunity to apply for permits to assess greenhouse gas emissions is now available until November 28 for ten locations in the waters of Western Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania.
The disclosure arrives, disregarding the fact that certain locations encompass marine reserves and a CSIRO scientific document reports the absence of guidelines concerning offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS).
The recently unveiled 2023 Offshore Greenhouse Gas Storage Acreage Release has introduced ten regions spanning seven basins that will be delved into for the purposes of carbon capture and storage (CCS).
This week, the 2023 Offshore Greenhouse Gas Storage Acreage was revealed by resources minister Madeleine King. According to King, these locations already accommodate a range of offshore exploration and production endeavors and were specifically selected based on their geological features and capacity for storage.
She mentioned that the marine environments would experience a minimal effect.
Nevertheless, the official government announcement requesting proposals mentions certain regions encompassing ecologically significant locations like aquatic reserves.
"Interested investors should take into consideration that certain designated regions intersect with Australian Marine Parks, Biologically Significant Areas (BSAs), and Essential Ecological Characteristics (EECs)," advises the informational guide for possible bidders.
The announcement states that certain regions may still contain undetonated military equipment, and the government cannot assure the wellbeing or whereabouts of these unexploded munitions.
"There is a possibility of undiscovered explosive devices (UXO) situated on or beneath the ocean bed in regions where the military conducts operations... Supporters should bear in mind the hazards associated with carrying out offshore exploration and development endeavors," declares the statement.
As per the International Energy Agency, CCS entails the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from various origins such as power plants or industrial activities. Subsequently, the CO2 is compressed, transported, and ultimately injected into geological locations.
Dr. Andrew Ross, from the CSIRO, spearheaded a research paper that was published in the Journal of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association in March 2022. This paper emphasized the ongoing global interest and investment in subsea CO2 storage.
According to the report, CSIRO and its research collaborators have been conducting investigations in the Gippsland area to contribute valuable data towards the creation of reliable monitoring strategies for subsea CCS operations.
According to the article, although there have been some initial studies and instances abroad, there is still a dearth of established guidelines and setups for monitoring carbon capture and storage (CCS) in offshore locations. Furthermore, there is a lack of ways to determine the environmental consequences if there is any leakage.
Government News has reached out to Dr Ross for his input on the current state of CCS management.
The government budget has allocated a sum of $12 million to evaluate the regime of environmental management and explore strategies to enhance regulations that promote offshore CCS initiatives.
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