STORAGE OF FOSSIL FUEL-DERIVED CARBON DIOXIDE BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH

Underground storage in porous and permeable reservoir rocks is a technically feasible way to dispose of industrial quantities of carbon dioxide such as are produced by a fossil fuel–fired power plant. All the necessary steps are commercially proven and in use today. Extensive, naturally occurring CO2 accumulations indicate that under favorable conditions CO2 can be retained in underground reservoirs for millions of years. Large-scale commercial underground CO2 sequestration has begun at the Sleipner West gas field in the North Sea. Some of the major issues to be addressed if this technology is to make an impact on CO2 emissions to the atmosphere are cost of CO2 capture, safety and security of storage, and public acceptability.