Brief description
The selection of qualified regions where large amounts of CO2 can be safely stored in the subsurface requires a number of criteria to be checked. Sufficient storage capacity, minimized risks, technical and economical feasibility, and other aspects need to be considered. The approach of this project is to characterize regions in the North German Basin with respect to their qualification for CCS by using objective criteria without any consideration of currently ongoing storage plans. The procedure how to identify individual sub-regions for detailed investigation involves several steps where simple methods applied to many data and sites will subsequently be complemented by more sophisticated methods applied to only a few selected sites. The applied methods range from simple dimensionless numbers to sophisticated numerical modeling tools. The complexity of the problems and questions that can be answered at different stages of the characterization procedure increases accordingly. The assessment of brine migration due to an injection of CO2 into geological formations is a major issue for risk estimates associated with the CCS technology since it might pollute, for example, valuable fresh water resources in regions close to an injection site.
DIALOGIK contribution
Since it is commonly acknowledged that public acceptance can become the most important hurdle to be overcome, the characterisation of storage sites might strongly benefit from an early and transparent communication of scientific results to stakeholders, politicians, and the public in general. DIALOGIK is responsible for the development of a stakeholder and public participation concept which ensures this communication. Our contribution aims at pioneering participatory modeling in the field of CCS.
Project partners
- Lehrstuhl für Hydromechanik und Hydrosystemmodellierung (LH2)Universität Stuttgart
- Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR)