Ireland has ambitious climate action targets. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) could play an important role by limiting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Carbon Capture and Storage is a proven technology for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2). It captures up to 100% of the CO2 produced through industrial processes and electricity generation.
It's then conditioned, compressed, and transported for permanent storage deep underground.
There are 18 large scale Carbon Capture and Storage facilities operating worldwide. Five more are under construction, along with a further twenty in development.
Scroll down to find out how this carbon dioxide is transported and permanently stored deep underground.
Depleted gas fields have demonstrated their potential to store gas - after all they've stored natural gas for millions of years.
The Kinsale Head Gas Field will be depleted circa 2020. Once it's empty, the reservoir could start a second life as a carbon dioxide store. Let’s imagine what that could look like.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is injected into this solid sandstone gas field and is trapped in its tiny pores. Chemical reactions combine CO2 with rock.
The CO2 in gas form can't migrate upwards because of the impermeable rock (caprock) above the reservoir. This process is known as geological sequestration.