EGC1 Conference

May 2023

ERCE is excited to be presenting at, sponsoring and attending the Energy Geoscience Conference (EGC1) in Aberdeen from 16 to 18 May.

Dominic Skinner, Geoscientist will be presenting on ‘A Workflow for Carbon Storage Site Exploration, and its Similarities and Differences with Traditional Oil and Gas Exploration’.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seen as a vital tool in net zero scenarios. In particular, CCS has a significant role to play in UK net zero policy, with the UK Committee on Climate Change stating in 2019 that to achieve net zero “CCS is a necessity and not an option”. With the abundance of potential storage sites offshore UK, this provides a unique and exciting opportunity for UK and European industry to store CO2.

In light of the NSTA’s (UK North Sea Transition Authority) recent announcement of the first ever UK Carbon Storage licensing round, ERCE have created an exploration workflow for Carbon Storage sites utlising experience with traditional oil and gas exploration, alongside lessons learned from existing Carbon Storage exploration projects.

This presentation will outline a workflow for Carbon Storage site exploration. Case studies will be provided and the differences and similarities between Carbon Storage site characterisation and oil and gas exploration will be highlighted. There are five essential elements in a working petroleum system: reservoir, seal, source, trap and timing. Although the exploration for Carbon Storage sites does not require the source or time elements, there are a few more factors which make Carbon Storage site screening equally complex, for example, legacy wells, surface monitoring or effects of pressure and temperature. An understanding of these parameters is crucial for successful storage site exploration through to safe containment centuries after CO2 injection ceases.

The workflow presented will help characterise potential Carbon Storage sites, where the parameters will be compared to ideal ranges that are either crucial or preferential to selecting a Carbon Storage site (IEA, 2009 and Chadwick., et al, 2008). Using available legacy data from oil and gas activities (wells, wireline, seismic etc.), it is possible to identify potential plays and sites suitable for CO2 sequestration.

In addition to Dominic attending the conference, Adam Law, Tina Lohr, Holly-Marie Owen and Rory McArthur will be present and available to discuss services that ERCE can offer in the oil and gas, future of energy, sustainability and decarbonisation spaces. Email us if you would like to arrange a meeting with any team member whilst at the conference.

The EGC1 conference is important to us as a company as geoscience underpins many aspects of the energy mix that fuels our planet and offers a range of solutions for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions as the world progresses towards net zero. The aim of this new Energy Geoscience Conference series is to explore and develop the contribution of geology and geophysics to the low-carbon energy transition. The meeting will be a key forum for sharing geoscientific aspects of energy supply as earth scientists grapple with the subsurface challenges of remaking the world’s energy system, balancing competing demands in achieving a low carbon future.

Aberdeen has a world-leading role in the energy sector and vision to position itself as a climate positive city helping to lead the world towards net zero. It is the standout UK location to launch the first conference in this exciting new series: the Energy Geoscience Conference, EGC1 in 2023.