BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28. Eligible infrastructure for CO2 transport is critical to the Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) deployment, Trend reports via the recent publication from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
According to the report, it is necessary to build a new framework, or improve an existing one, in order to lift the barriers to the expansion of carbon transport infrastructure or its shared access.
“The two main options for the large-scale transport of CO2 are pipeline and ship. For shorter distances and smaller volumes, CO2 can also be transported via truck or rail, generally at a higher cost per ton of CO2. Large-scale transport of CO2 by ship will soon be demonstrated as part of the Northern Lights Project in Norway. In contrast, CO2 transport via pipeline has been taking place for decades, with more than 8 000 km of CO2 pipelines in the US,” the IEA explained.
As the report noted, permitting the construction of CO2 pipelines will probably require changing existing laws, rather than introducing a large package of specific new measures.
“While the properties of CO2 lead to different design specifications compared with natural gas, CO2 transport by pipeline bears many similarities to high-pressure transport of natural gas. From a permitting perspective, this means that existing legal and regulatory frameworks for the oil and gas industries can be used to support the development of CO2 pipelines,” the IEA said.
According to the IEA, “eligible infrastructure includes pipelines, CO2 storage facilities linked to cross-border transport of CO2 (excluded prior to the upgrade), and fixed facilities for liquefaction and buffer storage that are associated with further transportation”.
“Other transport methods – ships, barges, trucks and trains – are now referenced, but do not appear to be considered eligible. The infrastructure for geological storage that is applicable to this regulation is the associated surface and injection facilities necessary to allow the cross-border transport and storage of CO2, and CO2 transport infrastructure is currently limited to pipelines,” the report concluded.
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