capturing carbon

November 2, 2006

Of all the long-term options to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is one option which holds promise.

Through a process of separating carbon dioxide from gas streams, compressing it, transporting it by pipeline, and injecting it underground for safe storage, CCS technology could be applied to large emissions sources (such as coal-fired power plants), which produce nearly 60 percent of the world’s man-made CO2 emissions.

Currently, however, the technologies are expensive and further study is required on the long-term integrity of underground options for CO₂ storage.

To address these concerns, the European Commission is sponsoring in part a ground-breaking research initiative called “CO2ReMoVe” to establish scientific monitoring standards and determine the reliability of geological CO₂ storage.

ExxonMobil has been involved in the development and utilization of these technologies in our own oil and gas operations and in partnership with others for over three decades. This includes involvement with CCS in the North Sea Sleipner gas field where over one million metric tons of CO₂ have been been sequestered each year since 1998.

That’s why ExxonMobil is pleased to lend our financial support and technical experience to CO2ReMoVe. We are also involved in CCS research initiatives through the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, the University of Texas, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University.

Studies indicate that Carbon Capture and Storage technologies could be a major contributor to reducing CO₂ emissions over this century. By bringing key industry participants and research organizations together in this major scientific study, the CO2ReMoVe project has the potential to help make this happen.