The Danish case-study of the CO2STORE project comprises the potential future capture and underground storage of CO2 from two point sources. These are the coal fired power plant Asnæsværket and the Statoil refinery both located in the city of Kalundborg, Denmark (Fig. 1).
Initial mapping of the storage structure was conducted as part of the EU funded research project GESTCO that was concluded in 2003. The study identified a large underground structure forming a potential, future storage site 15 km to the northeast of the city (Fig. 2). Porous sandstones filled with saline water at a depth of approximately 1500 m form the reservoir. The structure covers approximately 160 km2 and a preliminary calculation suggests a storage capacity of nearly 900 Million tonnes of CO2 equal to more than 150 years of CO2 emissions from the two point sources.
In the Kalundborg case-study, three fictive capture and storage scenarios will be formulated and modelled. The scenarios will be based on experiences learned through the SACS and GESTCO projects. Detailed geological modelling, reservoir simulation, reservoir and cap rock characterisation and risk assessment will be important issues for the case-study.
The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) is project leader for the Kalundborg case-study. Information on CO2 emissions from the point sources and technical and economical input for the three scenarios is provided by the industrial partners; Energi E2 and Statoil. Geochemical simulation and modelling studies on reservoir and cap rock will be performed at Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) in France.
Further information (in Danish) will shortly become available at GEUS website: www.geus.dk
Figure 1. The Asnæs power plant operated by Energi E2 (central part of photo) and the Statoil refinery (front of photo) in Kalundborg form the CO2 sources of the fictive Kalundborg storage scenario exploiting the future possibilities for underground storage of CO2. Photo courtesy of Energi E2.
Figure 2. Location map showing the position of the geological structure mapped northeast of Kalundborg and the two industrial point sources. The geological structure forms the potential, underground storage site in the fictive Kalundborg CO2 storage scenario modelled in the CO2STORE project. The insert is a geological cross-section through the structure showing the porous sandstones of the Gassum Formation forming the potential reservoir.
